Busy Bee

I always like to monitor who is coming to my site (well, how many, not really who precisely) and it makes me a bit sad how it drops off when I don't update for a couple days.  I know it doesn't really matter, but I like the idea of people stopping by and saying hi.  I guess it's just one more popularity contest.  Still it's one that I'd rather win than lose.

Now all I need is a cane

I have acquired, in my travels (well, in a catering job, actually) a top hat. That will make a nice addition to the Halloween outfit, though it does kind of lead me away from the James Bond theme I was favoring.  Still, how could I resist a free top hat?

Bond, James Bond

I have to buy a tuxedo for a catering job I'm doing. While financially this doesn't totally make sense, I hope to be doing more catering in the future to offset dry spells in my film career, so I'm thinking of this as an investment. Also, I can wear it on Halloween. So I'm trying to think of ideas where a tuxedo works as a costume.

Possible ideas:

1. James Bond. Of the female variety. Of course, this means that I'll have to drink martinis all night, shaken but not stirred.

2.  A bridegroom. Maybe my bf would throw on a veil and be a bride? Hmmm. Maybe not.

3.  A lesbian (this was suggested to me by a catering acquaintance. I feel like it would have the potential to offend people. I'm not sure I have the balls to do it.  I need to stop worrying so much.  People aren't that sensitive.).

4.  ??? Any further suggestions? I wouldn't want to spend all the money on a tux only to work in it, after all. I should get some bang for my buck.

No, the new four letter word

I've been spending the day running around (metaphorically, actually I've been sitting on my ass in front of my computer) trying to get a bunch of places to let us shoot there for free. Apparently, even in this economy, free is too cheap.  The city of NY is pretty great about this stuff, so Central Park and other public locations were fairly simple to get. It is every single other location possible, including a shot of someone grabbing a book from a shelf at the library, that apparently is just impossible to get.  Like really? We're not shooting an action movie. There are no explosives. What's the big deal?

In non work news, I'm hungry. Since I've been working all day I haven't really eaten anything. I also am still sitting here in my pj's.  Apparently both working and functioning as a human being  is a stretch.  So I guess that wasn't non work news after all.  Umm. The cats are being cute. That is completely not work related, as they are cute all the time. That is when they're not destroying things.

Exhibit A:

The space bar used to be there. I'm haven't settled on a culprit yet, but I'm pretty sure whoever did it doesn't have opposable thumbs. Just an educated guess.

Hibernation

I feel like I'm getting ready for a marathon.  The holiday season is coming up and my plan of action is to finish the film I'm scheduled to work on soon, which will be six days a week of all day running around to beat the clock work, and then I want to try to get some kind of holiday store job - maybe two holiday store jobs.  My goal is still and always to find work in my field, but I need to store up some money and buy myself some more time to do that.  Catering is another good option, as it pays well and is flexible.  I've been doing a bit of that lately, and want to do more.  I really really just want to be working up to seven days a week to try to pay off my nice new computer and put some money in the bank.  I'm tired of counting all my pennies.

How is the recession, and the weak job market affecting you? I'm in an artsy field, which makes regular work hard anyway.  What are the other plan of actions out there to deal with the economy?  What are you doing for the holidays and how has that changed?

My plan is to get some kind of full time work, even if it's not in my field, and when it dies down in January go back to having more time for my own job hunt.  It is also to stay here in New York for Christmas, instead of flying down to spend it with my family. I just can't spend $400 for a few days visit, as much as I would love to.  I may visit in January instead if I can afford it. If not, oh well.  It is to spend a lot less this year on gifts, maybe even just making a big bunch of holiday cookies for some of the people on my list and wrapping them up nicely.  It is to not run up my credit card, and to put even just a little more money in the bank.

It is so hard to stay on budget during this upcoming few months - Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners alone are just so much more expensive than my regular pasta.  And I just can't give up gifts entirely. I would feel like Scrooge.  Even Halloween ends up costing a little money, either on a costume or just because I feel like I can't stay home being a hermit.

On the flip side, I will probably get to see some of my friends or at least talk to them a bit more during the holidays.  I will receive a few gifts, which even when they're small really excite and touch me.   I'll decorate a little Christmas tree and eat the fancy nice food I am worried about making. There will be leftovers for weeks, and plenty of cookies left for me.  I love Thanksgiving and Christmas - my birthday is right in there too - and I'm just hoping that money worries don't overshadow them.

So what are YOUR plans? What are you doing?  Is it ok to cut certain things out of the budget, or are certain things just too sacred to do without?

tech help

So Nikki of Technikolly was kind enough to create a header for me, but I'm obviously doing something wrong when I upload it because the part that is showing up white is supposed to show up clear and look even cooler than it already does.  So why isn't it? Does anyone know?  Here's the pic pasted normally :

Why when it is a header does the edge show up white? (And apparently also when it is not a header - it didn't do this on Nikki's page when she posted it.)

We should be ashamed

I just came across this story on Yahoo! News, and it is so so sad and embarrassing that in this day and age a judge has apparently been getting away with this for YEARS.  In case you haven't heard yet, a judge in Louisiana is refusing to marry mixed race couples. Refusing. Illegally. A judge. Once that's sunk in, what is almost more alarming is that he has apparently been completely open about this, has been doing this for many years, and it is only now that a couple has actually stepped forward and complained.  I feel so ashamed as an American that we would keep a judge in office and pay him taxpayer money when he is breaking the law so blatantly. Especially when the manner in which he is breaking that law is flat out racist.  He should be fired, his cases should be reviewed, and the couples he insulted in this way should be apologized to. If we could get back the money we payed him that would be great too. Seriously.