February 9, 2011: Scripts! Spartacus! And Portly Pups!

This script is going swimmingly.  After my traditionally slow start in hammering out the teaser, I got a nice little rhythm going and made some major headway over the past couple of days, hitting the 25 page mark yesterday before coming to a screeching halt this morning.  Tricky scene.  After spinning my wheels for a couple of hours, I elected to take a break, heading downstairs for a workout and the first episode of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.  As much as I enjoyed Spartacus: Blood and Sand, I had my doubts about a second season: a) prequel and b) without the wonderful Andy Whitfield.  But the premiere of the second season put those doubts to rest.  While I miss Whitfield (and hope he'll make a triumphant return in the show's third season), I thought the show was just as smart and engaging as its first year.  Great performances, interesting characters, sex, violence, and a couple of surprises as well.  Very well done.  Anyone else watching?  What did you think?

After showering, I was no closer to cracking the narrative nut, so I decided to extend my break and take the dogs for a walk.  And, it was while I was out for my walk that I began to run dialogue in my head – over and over and over again until I recaptured my rhythm and finally had my scene!  I headed back inside and was halfway through writing it up, nearing the equally tricky scene end, when I received an email from Rob Cooper with a "crazy" suggestion.  Crazy like a FOX (late 80′s comedy)! "Think about it."he wrote.  And I did. And, immediately, had my scene end AND segue into the next one.  I want to say I was amazed at Rob's timing but the truth is, over my many years of working with the guy at Stargate, I grew habituated to this kind of out-of-the-blue story-spinning saves.  Whenever he starts a sentence with "What if…?" I'm all ears – provided he doesn't follow with "…we go for vegetarian instead?"  And, so far, he hasn't let me down.

So good progress on the script front.  I'll hit the end of act two tomorrow and am on track to finish a draft this weekend.  Paul, meanwhile, has completed his chunky teaseR and has moved on to the first act of his script.  I'm loving this four act structure.  And I'm also loving the opportunity to write these unique action sequences and fun banter.

If everything goes as planned (and, in this business, it almost never does), I'll be heading to Toronto next month.  And, to answer the question someone asked me the other day: "Yes, I'm bringing my dogs with me!".  I mean, come on!  It's not like they're lawn equipment you can give to a friend, or kids you can leave with a family member indefinitely.  They're dogs!  And, provided I don't do something crazy like charter a jet to fly them cross-country in comfort, chances are I may have to fly them carry-on (which would require two round-trips for me and a friend since passengers are only permitted one dog per person).  The airlines are sticklers however.  The dog and carrier cannot weigh more than 22 lbs.

22 lbs eh?  Hmmmm.  So, today, I broke out the scale and conducted a weigh-in…

Jelly. 17.2 lbs. Not bad. She lost some weight since the surgery to help in her post-op recovery and falls well under the weight limit.

Lulu. 24 lbs. But she's all muscle! The gal is ripped! Still, she eats three times as much as the pugs so losing a tablespoon or two of canned food may help ensure she drops a few pounds before next month's weigh-in.

Maximus. 25 lbs. Believe it or not, this little pot roast has lost five pounds since Fall. A little more exercise and few less between meal snacks should get him down to flyweight by March.





Bubba. 26 lbs. Geez! What happened?!! Well, I can guess. I've been so fixated on trying to get Jelly and Maximus to lose weight that I've neglected this chunky monkey. I've never considered him overweight because he's always been athletic but, lately, he's been more George Foreman than Muhammad Ali. He's on the program too!

For the life of me, I still don't understand why airlines won't sell seats to our canine companions.  Think of the money they could make!

Well, barring a dramatic change in airline flight policy, looks like the gang will be flying in-cabin – which means they all start their diet and exercise regimens tomorrow!

Jelly kicks off her kibble and old socks diet.

Max's "Just charter the fucking jet" look.