Who me? Writing?

OK, I haven't talked about writing in a while. Mainly because there hasn't been any. The only writing I'm doing these days is this blog and even that has been really sporadic. I don't have writer's block - it's more like writer's too damn tired to care block.

I really have to give it up for the moms who work, especially ones who work from home! I don't know how you do it. I'm exhausted all the time and I have the luxury of not doing anything if I don't feel like it. Well, anything but taking care of Baby Girl, of course.

Anyway, back to the writing. Nothing much has been going on for the writing partner and me lately. We've been talking about starting a new spec screenplay rather than wait around for a pitch or writing assignment but we're not that motivated right now.

Although it looks like we may have another pitch meeting coming up soon. The Fabulous Manager called the other day. (OK, yes, she reads this blog and it doesn't hurt to suck up, but she really is fabulous.) This was our conversation.

FM: So, remember that idea you had last year - X?

Me: Um, yeah. (vaguely)

FM: Do you think you could pitch that?

Me: Sure. (I always say yes. It must stem from my acting days where you always tell the producer yes when they ask if you have a specific skill. The idea being that, if you get the job, you can always learn to shoot a bow and arrow, skin a goat, hang-glide, etc. Bruce Campbell has a hilarious story about lying about his horseback riding abilities for Brisco County, Jr. in If Chins Could Kill . I highly recommend it. But I digress.)

FM: Did you guys do a treatment on that?

Me: I don't think so.

FM: I seem to remember seeing one.

Me: Really? (check the computer) Ohmigod. We did. I don't even remember that.

FM: That's why I'm so fabulous.

Ok, that last sentence may not have happened the way I remember it. But I do find it sad that I can't even remember half of the ideas, pitches, treatments, etc. we've done over the last three years.

It's probably a form of self-preservation. Who wants to remember all the work that you've done that didn't sell?

Sometimes, I think it gets harder and harder to be motivated the closer that you get to success. When you're writing screenplays and no one's reading them, you can tell yourself that if only someone would read your stuff, you'd be the next Charlie Kaufman.

But when you've got representation and people are reading your screenplays and you're having meetings...and you still can't sell anything?

Then you know it's you.

Right on Target

No, this post isn't about Baby Girl hitting some kind of milestone. I've realized that I don't really care to keep track of when she's "supposed" to do something. I figure my pediatrician will tell me if there's anything wrong so I'll let her worry about that stuff. I'm just going to concentrate on making sure Baby Girl is having fun.

What this post is about is Target - the store. I never knew that Target had a photo studio. Now I do and I love it! No sitting fees at all and their online coupons usually offer $4.95 8x10s.

The girl at the studio nearest us is really great. She's gotten the most amazing expressions from Baby Girl. But you don't just have to take my word for it.

Here are some of the recent pictures we had taken.




Now, if only someone from Target would read this and send me some free 8x10 coupons...

Defending Britney Spears

Let me first say that I never thought I'd be defending Britney Spears of all people. I'm not a fan of her music and certainly not a fan of her acting. But I'm getting really tired of all of this coverage of what a terrible mother she is.

Now, I have no idea how good a mother Britney Spears is. After all, I don't know the woman. What I do know though, is that if someone was following me around with a camera 24-7, I'd look like a pretty terrible mother too.

Like, when I left Baby Girl alone on the futon for just a minute and she decided to roll over for the first time. Or when I bonked her head on the porch column when I was raising her over my head.

Or maybe these times...





That last picture is just after Baby Girl tumbled face first off our surfboard onto the wet sand. OK, it's not like I've driven with her in my lap or had child protective services called on me. But Sean Preston is a little older than Baby Girl so there's still time.

I'M KIDDING!

My point is that accidents happen to everyone and Britney's a new mom and, just like the rest of us, she's trying to do the best she can.

So can everyone please leave the poor girl alone?

It's ALIVE!

Yes, I'm still here, but between connection problems, laptop difficulties, writing duties, making a couple of short films and having a baby who doesn't want to be set down, I've been a little overwhelmed.

However, apparently some people do read this blog and want me to continue my boring ramblings. Or they're just being polite. Either way, I'm pretending they're huge fans. I'm going to try blogging once a week and hopefully will be able to keep up that blistering pace.

Baby Girl is 5 months old now and we're still not getting much sleep around here. I've found that there's a Murphy's Law of baby sleeping - on nights that you have insomnia, she'll sleep for 5 hours. Seriously, who the hell gets insomnia when they've gotten an average of 4 hours of sleep a night?

Parenting books tell you that babies start sleeping through the night at 4 months. Well, Baby Girl apparently can't read because she still wakes throughout the night and rarely naps. We keep telling ourselves it's because of her superior intelligence. Hey, whatever gets you through the night, right?