Join me at The Popculturedivas for My Own Mr. Right.
Showing posts with label Brad. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brad. Show all posts
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
A to Z Blog Challenge -- Z is for Zany
Welcome to Day 26 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge where --
Z is for Zany
My attraction to all things silly goes wa-a-a-y-y back, to when I used to sit in my playpen with a bucket on my head making sounds just to hear them reverberate. At a basic level, even as a toddler, I knew it was silly to sit with a bucket on my head.
I do have to say that I come from a long line of silly people. No doubt my penchant for zaniness is genetic.
That's my cousin Charlie on Christmas Eve, 2009 -- an early photobomber.
I remember filling out a questionnaire in my bridal planning book where I had to list the top three things I couldn't live without in a mate.
One guess as to where 'sense of humor' ranked for me.
Even our dog was kooky. That's Xena crammed between the couch cushion and me in the purple shirt.
My sister gets eaten by the rhododendron during the Sisters Christmas Lights Decorating Party, 2012. We don't even try to be serious during lights decorating time.
My cousin-in-law Stephen, at right, can't even be serious at his own film premiere (at last fall's Atlantic Film Festival.)
Sure -- a mutant oversize zucchini is cause for silliness at our house. Why wouldn't it be?
My husband Brad deals with The Damage after a restaurant meal during our Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island vacation last summer.
I will confess to prompting other people to join me in my zaniness. Strangely, my writing group peeps have always been more than ready to flaunt their inner jesters. That's Nikki McIntosh and Kelly Boyce working it before a walk at the 2010 fall retreat.
Hey -- Nikki again at center, still working it at the 2011 retreat. At left, Annette Gallant, at right, Lori Robitaille.
Nikki...you are on a rampage of working it. Fall Retreat, 2013.
Maybe if I sit with my writing group's president Taryn Blackthorne, perhaps I'll settle down...
...nope...
And there you have it, folks! It's a wrap on 2014's A to Z Blog Challenge.
I'll be making my way to all of my commenters in the coming weeks. Thanks Everyone for dropping by A Piece of My Mind. It's been a pleasure to meet you!
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
A to Z Blog Challenge -- T is for Temple of Doom Tying-the-Knot Tuxedo
Welcome to Day 20 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge where --
T is for Temple of Doom Tying-the-Knot Tuxedo
When I was a teen, I spent money on brides' magazines even before there was a potential groom on the horizon. I'd 'ooo' and 'ahh' over the wedding gowns, bridesmaids' dresses and men's formal wear, dreaming of my future wedding.
Once -- you know -- I'd met The One.
Planning and dreaming for a major life milestone that is often regarded as the bride's day didn't seem out of turn, since really, wouldn't it be up to me to organize everything?
I'd always gravitated toward formal designs, including white tie and tails for the future groom -- it's often what the family wears on Downton Abbey, for example.
I just think it's a superb look for men. Yummy, in fact.
Fast forward a few years.
Who had appeared in my life but The One?
As we started to plan our wedding -- with emphasis on the 'our' -- I discovered that my future groom had his own vision of what he wanted to wear as we said our 'I do's'.
And it looked a lot like Indiana's white dinner jacket from Temple of Doom.
Now, I had pictured my wedding day for a good ten years by that time. It always featured a gorgeous groom resplendent in a black evening tailcoat, white bow tie and white waistcoat.
Yet my husband-to-be very excitedly described the look he'd been dreaming about for however long he'd thought about it. Potentially for six years, since Temple of Doom released in 1984 (and we took two years to get ready for The Big Day.)
Far from being crushed, I switched tracks and embraced the Indy look. I was thrilled to discover that my groom was looking forward to his Big Day, as much as the bride was.
That's Brad with his brother Ken, one of the groomsmen.
Kissing the bride...
Monday, April 21, 2014
A to Z Blog Challenge -- R is for Ryerson University
Welcome to Day 18 of this year's A to Z Blog Challenge.
Today's a good day to look back at the school that granted me my film degree.
R is for my alma mater, Ryerson University
As with most storytellers, my on-the-job training began when I was a small girl playing with dolls and barbies. I always had long-running story arcs going with my dolls. My best friend Connie and I once had an orphanage storyline going that lasted for weeks and required every doll she and her sister owned.
Another epic story arc brought our barbies to the Australian outback, where I remember a lot of time spent sitting in a darkened room because the story had moved to nighttime campfires.
Today, Connie's daughter is now finishing her second year at my old university, something that thrills me to no end. I know she's in the midst of four of the best years of her life, for that is what my Ryerson time was for me.
Ryerson University is located in the heart of downtown Toronto, in Ontario, the eastern-most central Canadian province.
It took me two attempts to finally make it into Ryerson's film program. In 1991, when I began my first year, I was a mature student in my late 20s, engaged to Brad and living off campus with him. I'd already studied Early Childhood Education, had worked as a nanny for two families and was leaving a full time retail position with benefits.
Although it was a dream come true when I was accepted into the program, it also felt like I might be making a terrible mistake in walking away from some form of financial stability for the lottery of making a living in the arts.
At that time, my program was called Photographic Arts -- Film Studies. It's now called the School of Image Arts -- Film Program.
This is a shot of my sister and me at an end-of-the-year screening, likely for third year. Behind me in the blue-striped shirt is Steve, who was my cinematographer during third and fourth year.
Both my sister and my husband acted in many of my film projects, as well as provided transportation, craft services, hair-and-makeup, production assistant work and basic support through freak-out moments -- like when I brought the camera inside from the cold and the condensation caused the 16 mm black-and-white film stock to gum up in the camera housing.
Just typing that makes me agitated.
Yet, stick me in an editing suite and I was happy as a clam.
Not surprisingly, I adored my screenwriting courses, and I applied for special permission to take the History of Costume course that was actually part of the Fashion curriculum. Because most of my films were historical or fantasy in nature, I designed costumes by turning used-clothing finds into film wardrobe, as well as rented pieces from a costume house in town.
My epic fourth year film shoot began with a full year of pre-production, with phase one of principal photography finding us occupying my sister's landlord's outdoor pool -- transforming it with exotic pillars, slaves and guards in order to pull off an outdoor bath location.
Next was the road trip with actors, equipment and costumes piled into a red minivan for an intensive location shoot in my original hometown of Halifax (where I live once again.) These are my co-workers from the Toronto theatre where I worked throughout my university years, doubling as cast and crew, as well as my husband Brad beside me (he was the villain.)
Ken, in the jean jacket, helped me keep my sanity when my cinematographer couldn't make the trip and I had to shoot this part of the film myself. Although Ken was the main hero, he also worked at that time in the sound department for CityTV and convinced me I could handle the tech stuff.
Meanwhile, Alan in the green-gray jacket at right doubled as multi-role actor and art director, helping me to keep my aesthetic eye open, while my techie eye and story eye were otherwise engaged.
Having survived all of that, the final phase of shooting took place in February in the home of my former roomie, Dave. We transformed his dining room/living room area into the regal bedchamber/drawing room of a noblewoman from a fantasy realm that I continue to write about today in my Dragonsfyre series.
Producer John, above, doubled as boom operator while I gave direction to Ken for the upcoming scene.
I'd have to write an entire series of blog posts on how grateful I am to so many people who helped me with my major film projects while I was at Ryerson. To Bill, another of my theatre co-workers, who drove me to a special costume sale at the Shaw Festival at Niagara-on-the-Lake so I could acquire some major pieces for my graduating fourth year film. To my late father-in-law, who lent me his beloved truck to haul sets, equipment and costumes to and from locations, and didn't even blow a gasket when it got towed one morning. To my mom, who patiently collected used-clothing treasures in Nova Scotia and shipped them to me in Toronto after I described what sorts of textures and patterns would work for my black-and-white film. To professional editor Miumi Jan Eramo, who leant me her National Film Board editing suite for the overnight hours so I could get my film done in time for the graduation screening. She then went on to give it two cuts with her editor's experience, all the while treating a student filmmaker as the director of the project.
Most of all, I would never have made it through those four years -- glorious as they were -- without the support and cheers of my sister Michelle and my husband Brad.
My sister turned her Volkswagen Fox into a trucking camera shot as we crawled carefully along the road in High Park for one of my short films. Brad put up with flapping-alligator-soled shoes so I could pay for film stock more times than I can count.
Both of them believed in me when my grandiose ideas bit back every now and then. Truthfully, we all went through my film program together. You know how I knew that?
In the mid-90s, when my sister and I were first watching the Sharpe series starring Sean Bean, there was an exterior shot of a battlefield being prepared, which widened and rose higher to reveal the full scope of the combatants.
My sister said, "Oh -- a crane shot."
I thought, Wow. Even though she wasn't in the classroom with me, she's been learning everything alongside me.
My Ryerson years were completely transforming. The film program helped me to find reserves of determination, resourcefulness and risk-taking that I never knew existed. It set me on the path of being able to turn any Plan A into Plan B, C, D or E -- whatever it takes to get the job done.
Most importantly, Ryerson set me on a lifelong journey of creative discovery, both in my own inner landscape as an artist, and by giving me the skills to collaborate with my peers. I'm just as hungry now to tell stories as I ever was, when I was a first-year student. Who could ask for a better legacy from their university?
Monday, December 31, 2012
2012 Movie Madness Challenge - November and December Report
Time for my combination eleventh and twelfth status report for the Movie Madness Challenge.
WOO HOO!
It took an entire year of concerted effort, but I did it. 100 films. Movie Master status.
That's the whole point of taking up a challenge. If it's easy, why bother? The point is to stretch outside of your comfort zone.
A brief shout-out to my late dog Xena:
Last January 1st, one of the things I was happiest about was the time I knew I would be spending snuggled up on the couch with my dog. She spent many an hour beneath my chair here at my desk waiting patiently until I switched over to the couch for some Pack time.
Only six days into 2012, my Xena passed away at age 11. I almost couldn't bear continuing on with the new Movie Madness Challenge, since a big part of it had been my intention to watch the movies with Xena cuddled up beside me.
Yet I persisted.
I dedicate this entire year's Movie Madness Challenge to my little furry chum. Thanks for making all the movies we did share together so comfy and blissful.
I'd also like to tip my hat to my co-movie-watcher: my husband Brad, who watched nearly every movie alongside me. He's a passionate movie watcher himself and far out-stripped me in movie totals. But he had my back for this challenge and helped me keep pace.
Here is my code for the films:
New to me - N
Repeat viewing - R
I'll also be including how I viewed the films:
DVD
VHS (yes, we have a lot of those, and a VCR)
Network TV
Pay TV
Internet
In theatre
Because I was deeply involved in writing my second Scorpius book in November for NaNoWriMo, I didn't post a separate challenge update and I'm including those films here. There were only three of them!
NOVEMBER
Internet
N
DVD
N
VHS
R
DECEMBER
Pay TV
N
Pay TV
N
Pay TV
N
DVD
N
DVD
N
DVD
R
DVD
R
DVD
R
DVD
N
DVD
R
DVD
R
DVD
R
Dr. Who - The Snowmen
Network TV
N
I combined these two 1-hour Christmas specials to count as one 2-hour film, since I couldn't live through Christmas Eve without watching Blackadder's Christmas Carol, and the Dr. Who special just couldn't be missed. Not with jagged-toothed snowmen.
Theatre
N
DVD
R
DVD
R
Internet
N
Stumbled upon this 1966 Polish film on You Tube. Watched it dubbed in Russian without subtitles - good practice for my Russian. Nothing like today's films-for-short-attention-spans. Loved it.
DVD
R
This one is scheduled for tonight's New Year's Eve celebration. Can't wait to see it! Haven't seen it since it played first-run at the Runnymede Theatre where Brad and I used to work back in the day, in fact where we met.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Total movies for November - 3
Total movies for December - 17
Total movies for 2012 - 100!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
50 Movies: Movie Fanatic - reached this one by July
75 Movies: Movie Critic - reached the third level by October
100+ Movies: Movie Master - it took the 365th day of 2012 to reach the final level. *happy sigh*
Thanks to everyone who checked in on my progress every month!
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