Now that I’m back in Los Angeles, I feel like this was my first official week of self-employment. Luckily, Lucy and Sophia did remember me when I returned – I have some love scratches from Lucy to prove it! (Yeah, getting her nails trimmed after three-and-a-half weeks away was one of my first orders of business.) It was also nice to come back to seventy-degree weather. Thanks for the toasty temperatures, Southern California! It’s refreshing to feel warmth again.
I LOVE LA...especially in January!
During these first few days of “freedom,” I can’t help but notice the differences between working at the studio and working from home, aside from the obvious ones like I can wear my pajamas all day now (although I haven’t done that…yet) and the fact that I do miss seeing my pals on a regular basis.
So here goes another one of my lists of not-so-deep observations:
1) It’s good to have pets. Aside from the obvious reasons – unconditional love, they listen to me when I talk (well, at least my dog does), they’re readily available for snuggling – a major benefit is that they rely on me in the morning. Meaning I have to get my butt out of bed so I can walk Lucy and feed them both. Once I’m up, I’m up…which means I’m also ready to get to work. (After doing their bidding, of course.)
Would you mind doing some dishes while you're up there, Sophia?
2) I need to buy one of those Brita water pitchers. I drink a lot of aqua during the day and I usually opt for the 24-bottle supply found at my local grocery store. When I was at the studio, I’d simply use the nearby water cooler to refill my one bottle throughout the day. Obviously, that is no longer an option for me. And I need to reduce my carbon imprint anyway, right?
Welcome to my kitchen!
3) Directly related to #2, I am going to need to purchase more toilet paper.
4) I was wise to sign-up for another online screenwriting class. I’ve mentioned the Gotham Writers’ Workshop before – it’s an organization based in New York City that offers online classes for those of us outside of Manhattan (and any lazy Manhattanites who don’t want to attend a live class). I not only started a new class recently but I was in the first group to present work to the rest of my fellow writers, so on Tuesday I found myself deep in the zone of polishing my pages before submitting them. It’s good to have the structure of deadlines and what a luxury it was to be able to devote a full weekday to writing! I can definitely get used to this. (Plus, the class is filled with some very smart, talented people who will keep me on my game.)
5) It’s fun to go to the movies in the middle of a weekday. Yes, I felt a bit indulgent (especially since I was at Pasadena’s beautiful Arclight Cinema), but I figure films are my business now so it’s important…nay, dare I say critical?…that I do my research, correct? Plus, I finally got to see True Grit, which was simply remarkable. Masterful writing, exceptional performances, gorgeous imagery…all executed to a powerful, profound effect. Those brothers sure know what they’re doing!
A Master Class in Filmmaking
NEXT UP: After much anticipation I give you: VP BABS!