How the 'eff is it the end of August!?!?

It's been intense lately. So intense that I had to leave the woods and stick closer to the house over the last while. The storms that have been rolling through here have been absolutely fabulous! Lots of poor trees have lost their lives these past few weeks.

There's about a week left here for me to pack before I have to return to the "big city". I'm so gonna miss the forest, country roads, and the gentle sounds of nature. I'm hoping this year, I can be more grounded, and mentally ... well, more stable. Last year was extremely trying. I won't even have my brother near me for support this time, as he is going to be in Australia. So, I'm going to try and keep myself busy ... but more balanced. I NEED to keep a time every week for me to still be creative and such. I think that was a HUGE part of the inability to deal last year; that and the extreme loneliness. And without my brother I may be even more lonely. BUT, I'm not going to let myself hide myself in a hole this time. I have a whole list of things to do when I start feeling like I'm just not going to make it. One of those things is to keep up on my blogging and in my forums.

I knew summer would fly by ... but I just can't accept it's the 21st of August ... well only a few hours from the 22nd.

Storm!

So, I think something is coming. It was an extremely hot day, and it has started to cool very quickly. The ouds look as though they are growing before my eyes, and like they are moving in different directions. The wind has picked up; random gusts are strong enough to make me lose my footing and sway me. All my little forest friends (who play around me while I write - the chipmunks, rabbit and ground hog) have all disappeared. Even the birds have fallen dead silent. I am just about to pack up and head for shelter. And as I type this I hear a strong wind whipping in the distance and the first roll of thunder. So, I'm going to skidaddle.

Horsefly Hell

I gotta say, solar powered mini lights are AWESOME for lighting up the forest. What's not awesome is the horseflies that are exiting - even though I tell them daily to get lost. Fortunately the gazebo has a screen around it, so they are being kept away from me, but they are stupidly flying into it as though inebriated ... or they are just plain morons.

Honestly, this has seriously been pissing me off. I go for walks out here and they fly at me. Well they are flies, and flies normally buzz around ... but OMG these idiots are ridiculous. They not only buzz around one's head, but they FLY right INTO your head. Like, full force, smash, head-on collision into my forehead, cheek and nose. And they hit HARD! Another fun trick is they like to fly into my ear and buzz around in a circle as they bounce off the sides of my ear several times until they either escape, or I frantically whack them out of  my ear. It totally ruins one's sense of serenity. BAH!

BOOM!

Running through the forest barefoot in a severe thunderstorm is very liberating. Terrifying, but liberating! Why running in a thunderstorm? Cause walking would have taken to long to get to shelter. Why barefoot? Cause flip-flops are not friendly when wet!

I love this gazebo. I worked a little on my current book, but I came up with two new stories, so I have been scribbling those ideas down before they flitter from my brain.

Today the weather is perfect. Blue, clear skies and just the right temp. Fabulous! Heading to the inlet today to relax in the water and just enjoy the nature that surrounds me. The real world is going to be a seriously hard slap in the face, but for today, I am living in the moment and pretending the world outside of this little place doesn't even exist. So nice!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!

Silence

It's so nice and quiet here. The humidex is a lovely 38 degrees, but the shade and gentle summer breeze is heavenly. Writing is going quite well now. Nothing like the forest to help with writer's block. The whippoorwill wakes me up every morning and the crickets sing me to sleep. Really going to miss this place come fall, and winter when the snow is falling and I'm trapped in the city. But, for now I'm just relishing in this  calmness. Mind you, I do so love internet that works in the forest!


Was down to a inlet where the stream makes a lovely pool. The water is so cool and refreshing and as far as I could tell, no fish. I definitely think I will end up buying a house (in the next few years) in the country and just visiting the city from now on. A 20-30 minute drive from a city would be perfect. Far enough out for this kind of solitude, and close enough to be able to get anything I may need.


I really need to ask myself if I want to go back to the city for another 8 months or transfer to a smaller town that's closer to my parents' place, so I could at least have some sort of country getaway within driving distance on any given weekend if I need it. Trying to fly back and forth on a weekend just really isn't worth it for the amount of time the trip takes up of the day. But, I know everyone where I'm at, and if I transfer I would be a loner amongst a group that already has well established bonds. Ugh. Only two more falls and winters of this and I won't even have to think about it any more. I think I will conserve my batter and get back to writing now.


Cheers to summer! May she take her time in lingering and maybe even fight September to stay away, just for a while. :)

Gazebo in the Forest

Well it only took 2 months to get here, but I am presently sitting in the beautifully rustic gazebo in the forest. I  can hear a couple birds, some insects and the gentle, warm breeze as it dances through through the branches and brings a much appreciated relief from the heat of the day. It's blistering in the sun, but oh so comfortable in the shade. I just love how the breeze encourages my ankle-length flowy summer skirt to dance around. So, glad I bought it! The bright green matches in perfectly with the leaves. And the layers and little lacy bows just make me feel like a child again (that or I'm 200 years or so back in time).

My note book and pen are in hand, along with a finished (which has now become a rough) draft that I am about to change some major happenings. The walk up here was great for thinking and while trying to peer into my characters' personalities, they made it abundantly clear that something I had done was just so out of character, and quit frankly just a silly way to get events going in a certain direction. I gotta say, I do so love trying to write something and having a personal creation tell me, "Um, no. I'm not doing that."

As for the movie, haven't done much. I've just been so uninspired this year. I've thought of a few ideas and I'm not sure when I will work on it. I think I need to return to civilization for this one. I'm still working on the music for the mini-movie however.

So, now it's down to business. I want to get in at least 5-6 hours of writing before the sun goes to bed. Although I may cheat and take a small break in the middle to go sit in the stream for a bit. ;P

Music in the Air

Things are getting done ... slowly ... but, getting done. I have a base idea of the movie this summer. The last few days, I have been working on the soundtrack. It's a little more complicated than I would like, but I am having fun creating it (in between the frustration). I'm starting to wonder if there will be enough time to get everything done AND film this summer. Filming may not happen until the fall (which would suck cause I would lose two of my main guys, as they will be in Australia by then).

I may be overdoing it this summer, as I am seriously considering doing the summer NaNoWriMo, since I can 't do it in November any more. Well I couldn't do it last year, and I won't be able to for the next two years, so the July NaNo may be my only option. I have to decide if I want to dedicate that much time to July, but I was really sad about not being able to do it last fall, so we'll see.

BUT, I notice the grey skies getting darker and menacing as a storm moves in, so less updating and time to get to some writing. Man, I love writing in stormy weather!

Yes a new look ... Again

So yeah, a little redecorating to get the creative juices flowing for the summer. I have plans this summer! Yup! I am going to get back into my violin playing, and learn some more on the guitar, (the new cello is going to have to wait until the end of these next two years and I really want to learn the mandolin as well!!!). I want to read a whole bunch of books I collected from my birthday and Christmas. I want to play with knitting some and try (once again) to learn crotchet; a feat which I have  failed at multiple times. I started a new blog to track my crocheting journey: http://journeyofcrochet.blogspot.ca. I need to design it to make it personal still, so that it's not a generic template offered. AND I am desperate to get back into my writing. I could have cried these past 8 months because I was so desperate to write. I'm also going to try and be more diligent with blogging. :) So here we go! SUMMER!!! And as much as I want to jump into all that other stuff ... I really need to figure out my movie project for this year. So far, I keep starring at a blank cinder-block wall.

Season's Getting Close

So, not a lot of progress has been made. A lot of ideas have been thrown around, but no definite decisions. Not too worried about it - it usually takes a while to get going. Of course it would help if we did more than drink coffee or wine and talk about everything and anything but anything related to filming. HA! It wouldn't be us if there wasn't vast procrastination. We have a 5 day planning session coming up in a few weeks. No one leaves, food delivered, internet and cell phones off - It going to be nice to be locked away from the real world for a few days.

FILMING!!

Okay, so I am doing a duplicate post, but that's just because I am a lot tired and have a little too much to drink (like everyone else here).

WE STARTED FILMING THIS WEEKEND!!!

Okay well not so much filming as we are in pre-production, but basically we are starting!! OMG I am so excited.

This year has been ... well BLAH!

So, somewhere within in the next 10 weeks we will be getting all the bugs worked out and the scripts finalized and then come May - BAM! Light Camera and the Fun begins!

There are a couple different ways it can go, but as it looks now, musical, it look like it's in the lead. I really thought it was going to be another horror, but with us, it's never predictable. Some depends on Davers, and we are waiting to see what his schedule will allow (which could force and very fast reworking and change of everything.) But whatever happens happens! It wouldn't be the same if we weren't flying by the seats of our pants.

The only thing I'm really concerned about is getting through these next 10 weeks of Hell (which I willingly walked into). But, without hardship we would have no character. So, I'm really pushing to see it through. I'm lucky in that I get a break every year from Hell - where so many don't - but it doesn't make my struggles any less worthy or hard to me personally. I think we can all say that about something. It's hard, but I try to really be grateful for what I have and then deal with what is thrown at me.

Anyway, tonight we sit down for the first official "inking" period after the first brainstorming session of the new project. There are various types of drinks, and lots of ribs a-cooking.

Le Sigh

2 weeks, then 9 days off then 9 weeks. That's it until 4 months of summer. I am sort of dying and totally need to get out of here for a bit. 4 months should be almost enough.

I'm trying to figure out what movie I was to do this summer. I have a couple options and I guess it's going to depend on my mood. I still have a couple months before I have to decide. With the year I've been having, I may lean towards the one that requires the least amount of planning on my part - then again, the difference in my involvement will only vary by a negligible amount. So, I guess I should just ignore everything and pick the one that looks like it'll be the most fun. Hmmm ... maybe I'll put some serious thought into it during the break coming up. Actually yeah. The thought of that makes me happy.

As I Throw my Chocolate Across the Room

As I throw my chocolate across the room, I decided I hate blogging about only "serious-normal-life-issues". I'm going to get ready for summer I decided. So, I bought new gym sneakers, and I am going to join the gym again. I used to work out all the time and I got so busy I let it fall to the wayside. This is NOT a new year's resolution! This is a me-taking-care-of-myself-and-getting-ready-for-summer. I'll join sometime this week. I've been weaning myself back into healthy food, which is a little hard to do in this "settlement". The healthy food is scarce here. I suppose I can deal with eating the same thing everyday.

Summer ... well more spring ... early-mid May ... I plan on taking a road trip. I'm hoping for a certain someone to come along with me and that I don't have to do it on my own ... cause how fun is that to do a road trip alone. So, yeah, I'll know closer to the date.

Sabbatical

This is kind of my summer home. When I'm doing things that I like and I have fun with, I'll be here, but I decided to re-enter reality and live in the real world for a bit, so until May I'll be in a new place http://mydemonsandme.blogspot.com/ while I deal with "reality". Then I can devote time to random, time-wasting, and much needed adventures.