Dinner, Movies, and a Bagel

It is time...for a new post.

I don't know about y'all, but I'm tired of looking at Dexter. Not that I don't still love him, but after a while, you just want to see something new.

But I've been busy! she whines.

Let's rewind to last week. No, wait, the week before that. Friday 18th, to be exact.

I had a wonderful reunion with my friend Ashley, who I haven't seen in years and have only kept in tenuous contact with over the internet. By which I mean, every once in a blue moon one of us would e-mail the other. Usually it was her e-mailing me, because (as all of you undoubtedly know) I'm terrible at keeping up with my correspondence. Anyway, long story short: she's moving to the Big Apple, and we met for dinner.

It was lovely! And strange...I always find it strange when people haven't seen each other in ages, but still manage to pick up right where they left off. I felt myself slipping easily back into my high school self, as though we had just been to the Promenade to see a movie and were now having dinner at the local Applebee's before we had to get home and finish our homework.

Well, OK, it wasn't exactly like that, obviously the two of us have changed since then...but that was even better, because we got to fill each other in on what we had missed.

Ashley asked me about living in NYC, and I tried to sound wise and jaded like a good little New Yorker should, and tried to remember if I had been as nervous about moving here as she was. I suppose I must have been, but it seems so long ago now, and I feel that nothing in this city could surprise me now. But then, I don't get out much.

Uh oh, the cats that live outside my window are having a little tiff...no, it's OK, they've made up again.

Where was I? Oh, right.

In the end, I tried to give her the best advice I had in my arsenal, and to reassure her that NYC isn't the large angry monster that it seems, and, anyway, it probably had a big lunch and wouldn't be interested in nibbling on her until well after next month, and by then she will have worn off her shiny "I'm new" coat and begun to look like all the rest of us. More effective than an invisibility cloak.

We finished dinner, I pointed her in the direction of her apartment (with further assurances that the subway system isn't that complicated, and she would know her way around in no time) and said goodnight.

As I said, it was a lovely evening.

Goodness! And here I was just going to write a few lines, yet I find that my fingers prattle endlessly when I set them loose on my keyboard.

Do I dare give you an account of last week?

I suppose I must. But I'm going to try to do it quickly; I have things to do today, and I haven't even finished my second cup of coffee yet.

On Tuesday, Kathleen came to visit. We went to eat at a Thai restaurant near my work, then walked to the movie theatre and watched Sweeney Todd. This was my second viewing and Kathleen's first. She loved it, but agreed with me that the spurting blood was really a bit much, and did we HAVE to WATCH Helena burn? Mr. Burton, you are a disturbed man...brilliant, but disturbed.

Then we went back to my apartment and watched an episode of Dexter (I know, I know, not really a Kathleen show, but she liked Sweeney Todd, and he killed any ol' bloke off the street, just so his co conspirator could chop them up into meat pies. At least Dexter has standards.) Then we proceeded to watch many many episodes from the first season of Heroes, which Kathleen had never seen.

The next day, Kathleen had a voice lesson and I had laundry, so we separated for a bit. Then we returned, watched a few more episodes of Heroes, and then went off into the city to meet up with our friend Jenna (she's Kathleen's...er...cousin? Something like that...I forget) to have dinner. Jenna is an incredibly interesting woman, and having dinner with her is always an experience. She's a writer (a rather successful one), and someone I admire a great deal. Kathleen's friend, Andrew, joined us for desert and then the four of us went off to the movies to see Atonement. Deeply depressing, but beautifully shot.

Then it was home again, home again, jiggedy jig, where Kathleen got in her car and drove back to Long Island.

There. You're all caught up now.

I worked for the rest of the week, and now I have the day off. Becca and I are going to sign up to be extras in some movie that's shooting this Spring. Could be fun, and it pays, so that's excellent.


I haven't written the story of my Incredibly Successful Audition yet because I want to see if anything comes of it. But I promise that as soon as I hear something I'll let all of you in on it. Just the title alone should tell you it's a good story.


Well, that about wraps it up for me. I'm going to go stick a bagel in my mouth and, perhaps, watch an episode of Lost before I get dressed. (I'm re-watching them all in preparation for the big season premiere!)

Later,
Jules

Why I Like Bad Boys...

So, I got the first season of Dexter on netflix. For those of you who don't know, Dexter is a show about a serial killer (named Dexter) who was raised by his foster father with a certain set of principles. A code, if you will. Basically, he only kills other killers. Like a really twisted hero.

What makes the show great, though, isn't just the dark humor of watching this serial killer pretending to be a normal guy with a normal job (sort of, he's a blood splatter analyst for the police, which isn't the most normal thing in the world), but rather, it's the other characters that keep you watching. The cops he works with (including his foster-sister) are all intelligent, dedicated individuals who each have their own personal histories and story-lines to deal with in addition to catching bad guys. Then there is the main villain of the season, the Ice-Truck Killer. He, too, comes with motivations and a back story which make him somewhat sympathetic and always fascinating.

Then, of course, there's Dexter himself. A man who claims to be empty of emotion, but who we see, throughout the course of the season, become more and more emotionally involved with the people around him, and the circumstances they (and he) have been put in.

It's an interesting character study, and one which could provoke endless hours of debate. See below.



So, for those of you who aren't too squeamish (there's some ick-factor, he is a serial killer, after all, though I think the killing is shot tastefully, without any unnecessary blood and guts) you should pick this one up today. It's good. Trust me.

Later,
Jules

PS-I have an audition tomorrow, I'll let you know how it goes.

Title

Yeah, I couldn't really think of what to call this post...

So, I've been thinking lately about (surprise, surprise!) comics. OK, but hear me out. I've been thinking about WRITING comics. I've actually always thought that a lot of my story ideas would lend themselves well to the graphic novel medium. I love to write, always have. And I've been writing short stories and novel-length stories that I never finish, since I first learned how to put pen to paper. But sometimes my story ideas are a little scattered. I'll have the over-arcing plot in mind (I mean, I know where I'm coming from and where I'm going) and then I have a collection of scenes that should, theoretically, get me there. You would think that would equal a book. Well, you'd be wrong. But it could, potentially, equal a comic book, where the major plot is there in the background of each individual story.

OK, so writing comics...sounds good right? Problem: I can't draw. Certainly not in any way that would resemble a comic book. My drawings lean toward the abstract and the oh-so-popular stick figure.

Then, the Idea struck. Take pictures of posed dolls. But then I would have to build sets for the dolls to be posed on, and anyway, how in the world would I find dolls that match what I have in my imagination?

So then I was thinking, there must be some sort of software that has basic forms that I can manipulate into my characters by mixing and matching hair styles and facial features. I think you can do that in the Sims game, but I wouldn't know how to pose them and then capture the image. There's some animation software that is basically like working with CGI that might be good, but it all seems to be ridiculously expensive.

As you can see, I'm in a bit of a pickle.

Ideas? Anyone?

Well, I'm at work today all by my lonesome (Annette and Deirdre are at a trade show), so I really ought to go, even though only one person has come in so far...

Later,
Jules

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a pleasant holiday...I know I did!

I now own more comic books than I can shake a stick at. A BIG stick. A stick that has other sticks growing out of it. So really, more like a root cluster.

Basically, if I get snowed in or otherwise trapped in my apartment, I'll be set for at least a week. I mean, I probably won't have enough food, but I'll have plenty to take my mind off my hunger pains.

I'm also reading I Am America (And So Can You!) by Stephan Colbert. Hilarious! Although, I do occasionally stop and think "there are actually people who agree with this stuff...and a lot of them run my country..." and then I usually scream until someone slaps me.

And finally, oh happy day, I got a raise! WOOHOO! I must work for the awesome-ist people in the world! Or I would, if that was actually a word.

As for auditions, I'm going to one next week.

Later,
Jules