A Job

Brief post here because I HAVE TO GO TO WORK!!!

This is me being very excited.

Starting a pilot for G4 today. Will only go a month or so but that's fine. I'm working with a dear friend who I quite thoroughly enjoy working with and, well, I'm working. The bills can once again be paid.

Cake baking is probably going to now be happening this weekend rather than today (I'm going to be trying this Red Velvet Cake. There will be pictures). And other things may be postponed slightly as well. Although I'm fairly certain I can still manage a sketch of Jeremiah.

Anyway, off to work now. Woo!

Bad Art, Cont.

I need to make one thing abundantly clear. I cannot draw. I really can't. My sketches are beyond silly. Their quality however is thankfully not the point. The point is that it's something I'm having fun with.

The bad art has continued.

For some reason, the requests I've been getting have mostly involved sea creatures. Although J has now requested a sketch of our local favorite, Jeremiah. That damn devil eyed varmit... So as soon as I'm done with the Chupacabra meets Narwhal, I'll be giving the possum a go. Who knows what will happen after that.

For now, here are my latest two. A happy Narwhal and a Monkfish.





Now if you're following me on Twitter you've all ready seen these guys (and if you're not, why not???) Just for you folks who have all ready experienced the wonder of the happy Narwhal, I'm also giving you some failed sketches. I know, if my successful ones are this bad, how awful are the failed ones? Pretty terrible!



Follow me on that tweeting thing! www.twitter.com/theladysrevenge

Now that I have a small handful of these silly sketches, I'm considering taking this another step. Since I'm not an artist and have no real aspirations to become one, I'd like to do something that relates a little more to what it is I am trying to do. Writing. I can't make any promises on this, since I am still neck deep in a screenplay that needs lots of work, but I do have a writing project in mind for this bad art. I'll keep you posted and hopefully even have a start on it soon.

Girl Talk Thursday - Ladies' Night!

Wow am I tired tonight. So tired that it took me three tries to spell “Girl” right. One of the things I’ve been trying to do with my unemployed time is workout regularly. I figure that once get another job I probably won’t use my free time for the working out thing. I like to be in shape (and let’s face it, look good nekked) but I do have other priorities. Like writing. Or sleeping.

I have no job now though and lots of time so I’m more than happy to spend a little of it doing crunches or pretending I know what I’m doing at the gym. The result of the excess of activity is that beyond the nice abs I will eventually have, I am incredibly tired. I’m not really used to this level of energy expenditure. I’m also having difficulty lifting my arms.

But I digress. This is my Girl Talk Thursday writing! This week’s topic is a good one, what do you like to do with your chick friends?

I love my girl time. I need my girl time. A lot of the things I do I don’t necessarily designate as “Girl” things vs. “Boy” things. I’m just as likely to grab a drink with my best guy friends as I am to go out with my ladies.

That being said, there are a few things that usually top the list when I’m planning lady time:

HAPPY HOURS

While certainly not limited to Girls’ Nights, I do enjoy a good girl only HH. Martinis and girl talk, one of my favorite combinations! I was evenly recently convinced that I do indeed like olives. At least the vodka soaked kind that comes in my Dirty Martini. Mmm… More than that though I just enjoy the chance to get drunk and giggly and gossipy with other girls. I like talking about boys and bitching about work and waxing philosophical about the other random topics that are bound to come up.

I have to be careful though or one of these days Gracie is going to convince me to join Match.com. Yikes!

SHOPPING

When I go shopping it tends to be more of a Mother & Daughter thing than a Girl thing. Granted, at this point in my life hanging out with my mom is very much so a Girl activity.

I do enjoy wandering through the clothes store and I like doing it with other ladies. It’s fun to play dress up and shop and compare. I’m not a huge shopper but if I’m going I don’t mind the lady company.

THE BEACH

I adore the beach. I love riding my bike out there, stopping for a beer, lying in the sun. The only thing that makes the beach better is going with my lady friends. It’s a lot of the same with the chatting and the being goofy, there’s just sun and, when we’re lucky, really hot surfer boys to ogle. I like ogling the hot surfer boys.

PIZZA AND BEER NIGHT

Pizza and Beer Night is almost exclusively a roommate activity on top of being a girl activity (well, being that both of my roommates are girls… I guess that goes without saying). After a week working with the hours that we tend to work when we actually have jobs, staying in, ordering a pizza, grabbing a six-pack, and putting on some terrible movie is the perfect Friday night. It’s the time to stay in, bitch about work, gossip about boys, be tired, plan the weekend, and pass out. From exhaustion rather than alcohol.

THE GIRLS’ NIGHT

The common thread that runs through all of these things is that rather than what the activity may be, the point is the company. While I adore grabbing a beer with G, sometimes what I really need is an extra dose of estrogen. To vent, to bitch, to commiserate, to laugh, to be goofy, to relax. I like boys, I enjoy doing many things with them, but I don’t always want to be around them. Sometimes I just want/need my ladies.

Sometimes I Do Things: Bad Art and Baked Eggs

Believe it or not, unemployment can occasionally be boring. Shocking to hear, right? I fill my time with a lot of things: my writing, cooking, reading. The internet can be a huge time suck. However sometimes, that all is not enough. Or sometimes I just need a little additional inspiration.

The other day the boredom got the best of me. So I reached out to my dear friends and asked for suggestions. I've gotten a couple of interesting ones.

Unfortunately the one involving a trip to Portland isn't quite possible for the girl who has hardly worked this year. Drawing a Mermaid Punk Band though? That I can handle.



Even more exciting than my bad art, is my baking. My friend Liz suggested I bake but left the What up to me. After some thought I decided to go savory with some baked eggs. You can bet I am happy I went with that decision.

Combining ideas from Tastes Like Home and 101 Cookbooks (I love this site), I made this incredibly satisfying lunch.



Baked Eggs

3 Eggs (or 2 or however many you want, I was hungry)
Butter
1/2 Tomato
1/2 Onion
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 clove Garlic
paprika
cumin
red pepper flakes
pinch salt

Preheat oven to 375.

Heat Oil in a skillet. Add Onion, garlic, paprika, cumin, red pepper, salt (and any other seasoning you want). Saute a few minutes until the onion is soft but don't brown the garlic. Add the tomato. Saute another few minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Line a small oven safe dish with butter (or whatever buttery spread you prefer). Crack one egg and add to the dish. Add the onion and tomato mix. Add the next egg or two. Place in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

I decided to top my eggs with salsa and it was delicious. If I had planned ahead a little more I think I actually would have made some salsa from scratch. The tomatoes from the Farmer's Market were that good. I also had a couple of pieces of toast and a side of blueberries.

I think next time I'd go closer to the 15 minute end rather than the 20 minutes. Or possibly try the oven at 350. Either way, this oven I'm using runs a little hot and I generally like my eggs just slightly less done than they were. I think next time I'll also leave off the salt. The cumin and paprika were more than enough and the red pepper adds a nice kick.

I seriously need to make this all the time. It's so amazingly good. I also really want to try a few of the variations suggested on 101 cookbooks.

Sunday Brunch anyone?



***

I've also received a few other suggestions I plan on exploring over the next couple of weeks. Or however long it is I end up being unemployed for. Next week there will be cake baking. There may also be some knitting. And more bad art. Definitely some more bad art.

Feel free to suggest anything else I should try! I'm open to almost all things new.

Video Overload

Lots of videos to share tonight. There are some cool things to be found on the internet.

I probably don't really need to share this is one as it's all ready all over the place. That's right, Jed Whedon's Guild music video Do You Wanna Date My Avatar? Featuring Felicia Day and the rest of The Guild cast members in all their Avatar-y glory. You can watch it for free on YouTube but the single is also available for purchase on Amazon and iTunes. If you buy it you're supporting The Guild and all things geeky. Why not?



Season 3 of The Guild premiers September 1st.

District 9 is another big thing of the moment. It rocked the box office this weekend and everyone I know who has seen it loved it. I haven't gotten to it yet but I'm hoping to check it out maybe Thursday evening with my mom. In the meantime, I have watched Neill Blomkamp's original short film that District 9 is based on, Alive in Joburg. You can find it here on the Spy Films website.



Going an entirely different direction is this Episode 1 of Creature Cast. Guys, it's about squid! It's very cool and even a bit educational.

CreatureCast Episode 1 from Casey Dunn on Vimeo.

In other news, I've been watching True Blood and Eric is hot. Er, well, I guess that's not really news. That's just stating the obvious.

In other news (for real this time), a friend of mine is making a movie! My friend Cherie is getting set to shoot this fall in Northern Florida. Check out the website and throw some love, and maybe even a little cash, her way.

No Matter What

That's all I've got at the moment. Look for another post tomorrow detailing what I do when I'm unemployed and bored (beyond trolling the interwebs for videos). It shall involve bad art and a recipe for baked eggs.

Video: Walk On The Wild Side

A friend linked to this YouTube video earlier and I have to share it. Watching it, I cannot stop laughing.

It's a clip from a BBC show and if you're in the UK you can actually watch the entire episode here. Sadly, it's UK viewing only (no fair!).

For the rest of us, we can at least watch this clip with the a Marmot named Alan and singing sharks.

Flash Fiction: The Wiseness of Cats

A few days ago photographer Kyle Cassidy posted a writing contest on his Livejournal. Any fans of Neil Gaiman or Amanda Palmer (or both) may know Kyle's work from the book Who Killed Amanda Palmer?

The rules were simple, write a 350 word story about his cat Roswell and mer-people. The prize was a copy of Chris Howard's novel Seaborn. And Chris Howard himself was the judge.

I sadly didn't win (oh well!) but it was a lot of fun to participate in and I really enjoyed a lot of the other stories. The winning ones are all pretty rad. You can read them all over on Kyle's LJ.

You can read mine right here! So now, without further ado, is my little Flash Fiction.

***

The Wiseness of Cats

She stood alone on the vast, empty shore. The great waves roared, crashed, frothed over sand and raced towards her feet. She shivered in disgust. To step foot in that awful ocean was the last thing she wanted.

She daintily slapped at it with one sandy paw. The water swirled around her claws and she pulled back, hissing.

It was so cold!

However, the call had come. She sighed, onward it must be.

With one powerful thrust she let herself fly through the air and into the waves. After a brief moment of swirling mayhem, her feet found purchase and she settled on the ocean floor.

Seawater filled her lungs. Choking, she gasped for air. The water filled her mouth and she felt herself begin to retch. Her whole body convulsed and she hacked an impressive cough.

At her feet sat, or rather floated, a hairball. She knocked it away in distaste.

She crossed many leagues before finally arriving at the undersea palace. The distance would have been annoying but she had traversed it many times before.

The Sea King was waiting. Ten stories to Roswell’s tiny stature and yet she stood before him, mighty in her pride.

“What do those Humans think they are doing?!” He bellowed.

“How should I know?”

“You are the ambassador.”

“I’m just a cat. You’re a King.” At once he deflated, his anger giving way to sadness.

“They have forgotten me. I no longer have even a name.”

“Then you must remind them. That is the only advice I have. You were once a god to them, they trembled in fear at your power. Make it so once again.” He stared glumly at her, not deigning to reply.

“Is there anything else? I dare say it’s time for my lunch and I will soon be missed.”

Back on land Roswell regarded the horizon; an angry storm of justified anger would soon be on its way. Roswell supposed she could attempt to warn them, but humans had forgotten the wiseness of cats. That memory was buried deep along with the names of their forgotten gods.

Links for Friday

I have so many random things I've been looking at today. I shall share them with you now! There will be links. Oh yes. Links there will be. And appreciate this because I'm taking a break from my Mad Men to share goodness with the world. Does that make me a philanthropist? Okay, maybe not.

Anyway, on to the linking...

Speaking of Mad Men, The New York Times has this article about the series. It does contain spoilers so if you haven't finished season 2 yet, be careful. To say it one more time, the new season premiers this Sunday at 10 PM. So make sure you're home or set your DVR or, like me, try and do both.

Another interesting New York Times article about Photography in NYC. It details a fascinating portrait of the city. If I was in New York I would definitely try and check out some of the photography being exhibited at galleries around the city. Someone on the east coast should go look at it for me.

This feeling seems familiar... Image from explodingdog.

This story from Mark Evanier made me laugh. How very Hollywood! I'm just curious to know who that Very Big Movie Star was.

Finally, I leave you with this video detailing the lovely harmonies of the Beach Boys. Yes, I still love Pet Sounds. Personally, I think it's brilliant.



What else?

Oh yes! I shall be going here tomorrow night to see a gallery filled with expensive toys. As someone who still loves her My Little Ponies, I fully appreciate the toys-as-art (or whatever it is) idea. Plus, they're really cute. And awesome.

And that's it for now! At some point I'll actually be posting an original little flash fiction I wrote yesterday so stay tuned for that. Guys, I'm going to let you read something FICTIONAL that I've written. I'm just as in awe as you are. That may happen tonight or may happen tomorrow. I promise I won't keep you in suspense for too long.

Otherwise, I hope you all have fabulous weekends full of good news. I'm tired of bad news. I've decided that it's time for me to stop receiving it. I will only be accepting good news from this point forward. Just an FYI. Send good news my way!

Goodbye Reno 911!

Since Tom Lennon has now Twittered it I guess I can spread the news as well. I heard from a friend this afternoon that Reno 911! will not, in fact, be returning for Season 7. Along with many fans I am incredibly sad.

As some of you know I worked on season 6 last fall. I was the Assistant Production Coordinator (means I worked in the office, answered a lot of phones, sent the PAs on runs, and helped our fabulous coordinator out with whatever).

Ah, what can I say about Reno? It was one of the best places I've so far worked. The crew was fantastic, the people amazing, there were constantly funny and absurd things going on and being said. Beyond that, I met some of my favorite people and made some of my best friends that I've made since moving to LA.

Working on Reno was almost everything that working in this industry should be. Of course it wasn't always all sunshine and smiles, there were egos and politics and the usual nonsense, but in the end it was a great production making a fun show and I would have gone back to it in a second.

So there's that.

The A.V. Club says a word.

And here on the Hollywood Reporter.

Goodbye and cheers to Reno 911!



May you live long and prosper on DVD.

Girl Talk Thursday - Showers!

This is a Girl Talk Thursday post! Mommy Melee explains.

To be honest, my shower/bath/bathroom routine is incredibly boring. I’m sort of the opposite of a girl when it comes to all of this stuff. My routine involves showering. Top to bottom: start with the hair, end with the feet. Sometimes I shave?

After the shower it’s just slap on the deodorant, mess some gel in my hair, and apply the Oil of Olay moisturizer with SPF 15 on my face.

Teeth brushing happens at some point. Hair drying usually doesn’t.

And that’s it. There’s no make-up, no extended routine or ritual. I like showers and all, I’m sort of OCD about taking them, but there’s nothing particularly special to report.

I like my Aveda shampoo and my Tom’s toothpaste. Although I have to admit that for financial reasons I’ve just been using random drugstore shampoo lately. I adore Lush anything but don’t really have the money for that either. And frankly, I’m too lazy to go through the routine of three different products to make me clean and soft and smelling nice. Um, those are all great things. But yeah, lazy. I settle for clean and the basic body wash.

Ha, somebody help me here? I’m feeling like I’m at a loss with this subject.

Actually, now that I’ve said that I know exactly what my shower time does for me, beyond the whole part where I get clean.

I have to shower every morning, almost always before I do anything else, not only because I’m really weird about having to be clean but also because it wakes up my mind. The creative part of me gets moving and shaking. I use the time in the shower to reflect on any dreams I may have had, go through them step by step as a way of remembering what they were.

More significantly, when I’m writing my shower time is when I think about what’s going on in my story. I think about my characters, consider where they’re at, and figure out where they’re going next. It’s an incredibly important part of my creative process because when I’m in the shower there is no distraction. There is no internet trying to tempt me, no phone ringing, no trucks driving by or gardeners mowing the lawn. There’s just the hot streaming water and myself.

I think through ideas and sometimes I’ll even live an entire conversation in my head. All that remains when I finish is to get on the computer and type it out.

So I really do need my showers. They are essential. Well, the showers yes. And the coffee. I can do nothing without my coffee.

The Shower (I like the window. And most of that stuff isn't mine)

My shelf of stuff. I use maybe two of those things on a daily basis.

And the bathroom. A little small but not too bad for three girls.