30 days and 30 Nights

It's Nanowrimo month! I started three days late and although I made a serious effort to catch up, I am still lagging behind. Will I make it to the winning post or will I be a victim of my procrastination once again. We'll see

The Battle Continues

Way back in November 2009 one of the first things I ever blogged about was remakes and cover versions. In an entry entitled Creation vs Evolution I moaned about how raw or new talent is often ignored in favour of churning out remakes of old films that don't really need remaking. Nothing much has changed in the last few years. We are still being subjected to the same rehashing of ideas and we are still stupid enough to accept what we are given. I suppose I am also guilty because here I am writing about the same thing!

So why has this come up again? I was doing a little trolling through IMDB.com checking out what films are in production and I came across Red Dawn. So I decided to compile a little list of some of the "delights" coming to a screen near you soon

Red Dawn - The Russians have been replaced with North Koreans (or Chinese depending on which site you believe) but WTF! At the time the original was released Americans were still paranoid about the Ruskies so it was at least conceivable although very far-fetched. Even so, it's a cult-classic little film that shouldn't be messed with.

Carrie - Do I need to comment?

Robocop - Seriously do they think this concept can be made better. No amount of Special Effects or CGI is going to improve this franchise.

Annie - Please don't. It's worse than the Go Compare advert.

Oldboy - If people aren't willing to sit through the original film with subtitles then they don't deserve to have this fantastic film in their lives anyway.

Point Break - There is absolutely nothing wrong with Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves in rubber.

Dirty Dancing - Why have all these studios got it in for Patrick Swayze? Okay I know he wasn't the world's best actor but the man had screen presence and that is going to be hard to replicate. Didn't they learn their lesson when they remade Footloose?

There are just too many to mention so here is a link I found with a comprehensive list of what we are set to endure

http://www.nextmovie.com/blog/upcoming-movie-remakes/

The overall message here is - If it's not broken don't fix it. Most of the films they are lining up to remake don't deserve a second chance, the others are classics that should be allowed to stand alone for the great films they are. I think it is obscene that they are even considering remaking a Hitchcock classic such as The Birds. As far as I am concerned, there should be a law against it.

Why can't they remaster some of these old films and re-release them instead. I would love to see some of these back on a big screen.

As a wannabe writer, I will always favour Creation over Evolution in this argument. I fear I am going to lose.

Heartland

Netflix is a fairly new addition to our household and I have been getting my money's worth watching loads of films and tv I have missed.

I came across the tv series Heartland just recently and I am now a big fan. There are not many true "family" shows around anymore. It can sometimes be hard to find something we are all interested in watching. It can be even harder to find something that is age appropriate. Heartland has got us all hooked though, even the men in the house who pretend not to watch are actually enjoying it (although they'll never admit it!)

The series is set on a horse ranch in Alberta, Canada called Heartland and follows the highs and lows of the people who live and work there. At the centre is Amy Fleming, a young girl who has inherited her mother's gift with horses. The stories vary between family dramas and heart warming horse rescues and rehabilitations.

You don't have to be a horse fan to appreciate this show though because there is plenty of other stuff going on too. The dysfunctions of the Bartlett / Fleming family and the trials and tribulations of their love lives supplies more than enough entertainment. Oh, and I dare you not to fall in love with Sugarfoot!

50 Shades later

I don't like the follow the crowd (I think I've mentioned that before) so it took quite a while for me to give in but I've been and done it!
The 50 Shades Trilogy by E.L. James has been all over the social network sites for months. Everyone seems to be reading it, have read it already or can't wait to read it. Not since Harry Potter has there been such a hoo ha about a book series. Women everywhere are raving on about Ana and Christian. Anyone would think that never before has there been this much kinky sex in a book!
Well now I've read all three books, I can honestly give my opinion...
I downloaded this trilogy onto my Kindle on Monday morning and I just finished the third book a half hour ago. I read a lot and I am a fairly quick reader but to polish off three books in three evenings is good going even for me. This highlights how easy these books are to read. I wouldn't say I found them engrossing (like some people!) but they flowed well and kept my interest. Yes, there is a lot of sex and some of it is kinky but it is also repetitive. The author continually describes Ana's libido as her "inner Goddess" and this rankles after a while. Constantly using the same vocabulary to describe her characters (Christian is so mercurial!) also raised my hackles quite a bit. However, the characters are very good and the storyline is okay.
With all the postings on Facebook and Twitter, I had certain expectations of what the books were about, I expected to hate the Christian character but instead found him sympathetic and interestingly complicated. Ana is also quite likeable although not as believable. I don't think anyone really thinks that someone who kept their legs crossed for twenty-one years would be so quick to lose all inhibitions. Okay, it's fiction so, in theory, you can make the characters do whatever you want. However, this sudden turnabout in character made me uncomfortable. It was too convenient.
Do not believe the hype though. These books are not just about sex. Aside from the dominance / submission, sex toys and orgasms, there is actually a story here. It is a story we have read many times in many formats - It has a classic Love Conquers All.
I am sure that most women will find the books enjoyable and titillating. I am also sure that most of the excitement around these books is from women that don't do an awful lot of reading. There is a lot of variety out there and a lot of erotic fiction if you look for it.
If you've read the books and thought they are the best thing you have ever read, then I honestly believe you are not reading enough. If you have been inspired to spice up your sex life or even better pick up another book to read, then I guess E.L. James' work here is done.

Procrastination

I'm getting nowhere. I have been spending far too much time on Facebook and Twitter, pouring over other people's posts instead of writing my own. I have been wasting far too much time watching movies and tv instead of getting stuck in with my own writing. I make excuses of I'm not in the mood to write, the house is too noisy, the kids are over or I've got too much other stuff to do. I make excuses, I put it off. I make long lists of tasks but then never get round to crossing anything off as completed.
I am stuck in a rut and I can't seem to drag myself out of it at the moment. It feels like I've been asleep for months. There is no motivation, no incentive, no rush to do anything. I barely make it out of bed to go to work each day and when I get home, I just want to forget about the day I have had. This is my life at the moment and I can see no escape from it.
What I need is a good hard kick up the arse! Good things do not come to those who wait - you have to go out and grab it. What am I waiting for? A sign maybe. Something to show me that this is what I should be focusing on. This is what I was meant to do.

Dirty Laundry

Mum always told me, "Don't air your dirty laundry in public." Normally I adhere to her warning. I kept all the details of my bad marriage to myself. In fact, I kept it so secret that announcing we were getting divorced was a huge shock to everyone. It was no-one else's business as far as I was concerned.
Dad always told me, "Don't have arguments. You'll only say something you can't take back later." To this day, I don't like arguing. If it gets a little too heated, I will walk away and wait for things to calm down. I never want to say something to someone just to be spiteful so I never let myself get so agitated that my mouth runs away from me. Trust me, I can cuss and curse as good as the next person (I am a Feltham girl after all) but I don't see the point.
I wasn't the only daughter given this advice. My two half-sisters were given the same advice growing up. So why is it that I listened and they didn't.
Over the years, we have had all the minutae of our family life told and retold, embellished and exagerated. Like Chinese Whispers, these stories have expanded and morphed until they are so far from the facts they are beyond recognition. If you tell a lie long enough it becomes the truth.
I am sure we are not the only family that has its fair share of embarrassments. If the truth was told, our extended family would give the writer's of Eastenders some inspiration and most people wouldn't believe a word of it. I don't think we've had a murder yet (there's still time!) but just about everything else from affairs to child abuse has touched our family at some point or another.
My parents split when I was about 7 and both started new relationships and I gained new siblings. I don't rate siblings by blood connection. My step sister and brothers are as much my family as my half brother and sisters. It wasn't always that way, of course, growing up I had resentments. I was young and jealous and hurt and I acted up and acted out. But I grew out of it. I wish I could say the same for everyone.
So why am I writing this blog on this topic. Because my half-sister Karen seems to think it is acceptable to attack my step-sister Wendy on Facebook, scream abuse down the phone at my step-mum Di the day after my Dad passed, and now rant and rave at Wendy in the middle of Asda throwing in "it should have been your mum that died!" I don't doubt that Karen is hurting over the loss of my Dad but acting like scum is unacceptable. I cannot sympathise with someone who chose to disown the only man that had ever treated her right. If she is now troubled with feelings of regret and guilt because she cannot correct her mistakes then that is her shit to deal with. Attacking the people my Dad loved is not the answer.
She seems to have it in her head that she has the biggest claim to my Dad because she was there first! If we are going to have a pissing contest over who was closest to him, she will lose big time. She had this man in her life for less than ten years, Wendy had him for over thirty. He loved her like his own, her children are his grandchildren. He would not have understood all this anomosity, he would not have appreciated it and he would have sided with Wendy just as I am doing.
Let me set the record straight here and now, in case Karen ever reads this. The decision not to have Dad buried with Dawn has absolutely nothing to do with money. In fact, it would have been the cheaper option so get your facts straight before making accusations. The reason is private and personal and frankly, none of your business. The decision was made jointly by his wife, his son and his daughters. I was not cut out of anything. I was involved in all the decision making regarding his funeral and resting place and I am happy with the decisions we made as a family. I do not need you to defend me. There is nothing to defend.
Peter was my Dad, my blood. He was a good man. A quiet man. This is not a fitting tribute to his memory or the way he lived his life.
I am embarrassed by you, Karen. You should be ashamed of yourself.

Weekend Blues

So the birthday weekend was relatively quiet. We had the kids so we enjoyed a nice meal (pie provided by my lovely step-mum) and Clint even baked me a cake. I didn't have to lift a finger so for me this was a special treat.
The closer it gets to monday, though, the worse I feel. That dread is starting to set in. That deep dark sick feeling that means I have to go back to work. For a few days I have managed to block out of my mind the fact that I am so fed up with my day job. No-one should feel like this. I really need to get another job. Nine years is too long at this company. It was only supposed to be a stop-over. I never planned to stay here so long.
The prospect of looking for another job is just as scary. It's the old "jumping from the frying pan into the fire" that worries me. There's never going to be a guarantee that the next place is going to be any better. I honestly can't believe it can be any worse, though.

Planes, Trains and Horses

Somehow, I found the time this week to cross another couple of title off the Book Challenge list.

BOOK CHALLENGE 59/1000 (67)

Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne is, of course, a classic and another one that I had read years and years ago. This one stills reads just as well, although I am not sure it would hold the interest of today's youngsters. It didn't take long to polish this one off, it flows nicely and held my interest to the end.

BOOK CHALLENGE 60/1000 (68)

I remember watching the tv series when I was a kid but I had never read the original novel. To be brutally honest I didn't miss much. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell is a lovely children's book but if you are going to read a book about a horse I think Warhorse by Michael Morpurgo is much better.

What's next on the list? Who knows. I might even cross a couple more off today if I'm lucky.

Good Times

So the week hasn't been going quite how I planned, which is only to be expected really. I got a little distracted when I was looking for something in the garage and came across a pot of paint. Ooh, I thought to myself, that's a nice blue. Before I knew it I was halfway through redecorating the kitchen!
This is the way things always go in my house. I plan one thing and end up doing something completely different. At least the kitchen looks nice. (Well it will do once it's had a second coat and I've cleaned up all the splatters!)
That said, I have managed to finish the next assignment on my course and posted that off. I have also worked on the script a little - although not as much as I would have liked.
This evening Clint and I went round to his best friends' house for the evening and were treated to a lovely meal and great company. They even brought out a cake with candles for me (it's my birthday in a couple of days).
We got home to find Shelby had managed to get hold of one of my shoes. It is now a size 4 instead of 6. I think she was punishing me for not letting her lick all the paint off the walls.

A New Day, A Fresh Start

I usually run a few steps behind everyone else. I am always playing catch-up so it is no great surprise that I only just managed to drag the Christmas tree outside this morning. There were pine needles flying everywhere so although I think I've vacuumed most of the mess up, I am sure we'll still be finding needles in April! (If you are wondering why the lady of the house is dragging a 7 foot spruce around instead of calling on the talents of her big strapping fiance, it is because we can't chance Clint getting any dust or particles in his eye. Also, I am not a feeble little woman and am more than capable, so there!)

We live in a Victorian terrace so the "front garden" is tiny and it is now completely full of tree. There is just enough room to swing open the gate and take the two steps to our front door. I couldn't even get the base off so I'll have to get out there with a hammer later. Until then, I am going to sort myself out a comfortable work area and get stuck into redrafting my feature length script.

I have this week off work every year. By the time Christmas has come and gone I am always more than ready for a few days away from my shitty day job. After the melt down I had in the office last Friday, I am sure they are all glad to see the back of me too. I am pretty sure they know how unhappy I am now. They are not going to do anything about it, of course, but at least when I hand in my notice they can't claim ignorance.

The plan this week is to write, write, write. I have my feature "Being Nobody" to redraft - this was previous called Soft Place to Fall but I think the new title is a better fit. I have stalled on my YA book The Coven, so I really need to go through all my plot notes and draft out an outline to use as a map. I have a plan to develope my short script Tempting Fate into a pilot for a series, so I need to start outlining this. I also want to spend some time finishing the book-keeping course I enrolled in - this is my attempt to start getting some qualifications behind me so I can eventually be in a position to go self-employed. If there is any time inbetween I want to get on-line and actively look for a better job. If I stay where I am much longer I think I'll end up in the nutty ward!

First things first, I think I am going to draw up a simple timetable. I am not very disciplined with my writing yet so my tendency is to get distracted with other stuff too easily. I think a work schedule will tie me down nicely.

The Geek Shall Inherit the Earth

If anyone ever actually reads this blog, you will know that I read - a lot. Aside from writing, it is my most favourite pastime.

It is not often I come across a book that has a profound effect on me but yesterday evening I started reading Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton. I enjoy watching a fair bit of Sci-fi but I am not a big Star Trek fan so choosing to read something written by one of the main characters from The Next Generation seemed a little odd even to me. I can't say what drew me to this book but I am certainly glad I was drawn there.

I didn't know very much about Wil. I recognised him as Wesley Crusher from Star Trek, of course and I even remembered him from Stand by Me. I had heard that he had a big presence on the Internet but I had never visited his site. I opened this book with an open mind and I was hooked from the very first page.

The book consists mainly of stories and anecdotes that have appeared on his website. He is unashamedly honest about all aspects of his life and despite the hardships he has endured, he manages to get his story across without reducing the reader to tears. His love-hate relationship with Star Trek and its cast and crew is fascinating to read. The insight he provides on the inner workings of the Hollywood casting process is enough to put anyone off ever becoming an actor. His incredible sense of humour is evident in every page and his love for his family is heartwarming.

This is not a book about Star Trek, this is a book about Wil Wheaton. This is a nice guy. A self-confessed geek but a nice guy. He has proved that Geek does not equal weak.

I was left with an overwhelming enthusiasm to better maintain my own blog and to persue my own dreams of calling myself a writer.

You can check out Wil's blog at http://wilwheaton.typepad.com/ and follow him on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/wilw

Time Flies

So I should have been having fun!

I can't believe how much time I manage to waste with nothing to really show for it. I haven't been blogging nearly as regularly as I would have liked and I have no real excuse for abandoning something I have grown to enjoy so much. Feeling sorry for myself became my biggest enemy and I am hoping that this year I can put that all behind me and start looking forward instead of constantly looking back.

That said, I realised that there was so much I didn't blog about last year that I should have. So I am going to do a little montage of everything I missed and then draw a line under it and start this New Year afresh.

Here is a brief recap of all the stuff you didn't read about...

Jace Everett at the Jazz Cafe. I took the Mother-in-law-to-be because Clint was ill. Loved this little venue, loved Jace, Dan and the band. Managed to get the MiL2B hooked on Jace (Bad Things is now her ring tone) and on Sailor Jerry's. Result!

Tom McRae at St James' Church. Again I took the MiL2B and a good but sober night was had by all. A church is the last place I ever expected to see Tom. Hearing his songs performed with the backing of a string quartet added a whole new dimension to this talented man's repertoire.

Toby Keith at Wembley Arena. This time I had almost the full set in MiL2b, Stepdaughter and Dear Fiance. Ella was chuffed to bits when I told her I got the tickets. She loves her RnB but also has a soft spot for Toby Keith and Clay Walker. This was her first proper music concert and although she had a good moan about the long walk from the station to the venue (she hates walking) she thoroughly enjoyed herself.

The Dualers at Kingsmeadow. Now that Simon has left I was a little worried about whether Tyber could pull it off on his own but there was nothing to worry about. Although I did miss a couple of songs that Si usually led on, such as Urban Spirit and Fix You, there is still plenty to love.

Footloose at Victoria Theatre, Woking. A birthday treat for my Mum. I had seen this show a couple of years ago at the Novello with Clint and the kids. The touring cast were just as good although I did miss Derek Hough in the lead. Mum had a great time and we had front row seats so for one night only, I was the best daughter in the world.

Night Jump at Datchet. Will definitely be going to this again this year if we can. Waterski thrills and spills and so much more. This was a great day out for the family although maybe a little too long for our techno loving children.

Family day at RAF Northolt. Men in uniform, what more can a girl say!

My short script entitled "Tempting Fate" which I bravely entered in the OTTfilms Halloween comp came joint first. I have been approached by one of the OTTfilms members who is interested in seeing it made as a short film. Perry has already put calls out for cast and crew and has had a lot of interest. Watch this space for more news.

My short story "The Room" which I previously posted here has also caught the attention of one of the other members of OTTfilms after I posted it on their forum asking if it was adaptable for a short film. Hopefully, Aaryk will take this story and make it into a surreal piece. I can't wait to see how he gets on.

My job is still unbearable and I have started actively looking for a new one. If I had my way, I would throw in the towel tomorrow and start writing full time but until we win the Lotto there's little chance of that.

Clint has been having trouble with his cornea transplant. An emergency trip to the hospital before Christmas led to him being signed off work again. He now has three different drops to take to try to stop the transplant from rejecting. It has been very worrying but after another hospital appointment today, we were told that it is back on the mend.

Films watched include 127 hours, Season of the Witch, King's Speech, Black Swan, Just Go With it, I am Number 4, Paul, The Adjustment Bureau, Hall Pass, Limitless, Lincoln Lawyer, Hanna, Beastly, Red Riding Hood, Source Code, Pirates-on Stranger Tide, X-Men First Class, Bad Teacher, Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Horrible Bosses, Super 8, Mr Popper's Penguins, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Cowboys & Aliens, The Inbetweeners, Abduction, Dolphin Tale, Breaking Dawn Part 1. Too many to review properly but biggest disappointments were probably Bridemaids and Cowboys & Aliens, and most pleasant surprises were Abduction, Beastly and Lincoln Lawyer. Best family film was Dolphin Tale just because I'm a sucker for all things Florida.

Plus Clint became a Godfather for the first time to gorgeous little Conor.