Deep in the Crate

Headed back to the old studios to have a nose around in the crate we put into deep storage. It's full of all the stuff that might be handy if the next series gets the full greenlight, we thought we wouldn't have to crack into it for another couple of months. Instead I found myself digging through boxes for tiny bits which were all, predictably, at the back of the crate underneath all the other boxes. Ah well, it got my muscles working again, lifting and shifting, so much so that I went in a run later on today just to keep a good thing going. I'll be heading into the office for just one day tomorrow, a toe-dip into office life once again.

SFX Road Trip

Day two back on the short term work beat had me driving out to an SFX house to grab a smoke machine. A labyrinth of road closures meant that I was on the road a lot longer than I was anticipating, but I knew the guy at the place as it turns out so we had a good chin wag. 

I'm also continuing to moonlight as a script editor for a young filmmaker, offering gratis advice on how to sharpen their story. I'm lucky they're actually very good at writing so it's a joy to help them out on it. Keep my brain whirring in all the ways I like it too as well.  

Remembering how to Email

I got a weeks worth of work starting up from today so I set up my downstairs desk and got to emailing. We basically have a single day shoot to prepare for on Friday which we're all gently scrambling to get ready for. I spent most of the first hour reclaiming all my work credentials so I could sign into our various platforms. From then. I just had to get back into the swing of phonecalls and emails. Nice to be useful though, even nicer to get a little bit of cash in my pocket.

Stifled Heart Attack

Got up a little early for two reasons. 1) the cat woke me up and 2) I wanted to crack in with my day. I settled into some more cosmic horror nastiness early in the morning, wearing my headphones so the noise of scraping, rusted metal mixed with shrieking wouldn't wake Rebecca. Instead, it left my dead to her footsteps and then slowly opening the door to say 'good morning'. I just about stifled a heart attack and kept composure in the moment, but her silent appearance rattled me to my core. 

Rebecca and I did share a more wholesome moment together later by taking our lunch to the park to enjoy in the sunshine. I took my book on our picnic (True Grit, for anyone who is asking, yes I am in my Western Era) and finished it up just now before bed.

I also headed out to see some more old work friends. We shared some time in a cafe before grabbing a bite at a steak restaurant (a bit off brand for me, but hey, I'll try anything new). Best part was they were handing out free ice cream so as we left we all enjoyed an early summer cone. 

Twilight

For the first time in my life I wasn't enchanted by my Ikea visit. It's always been a place where some little kooky thing sparks joy, or where I can envision a piece of furniture slotting right into place somewhere in my home. But today all I found was cheap and not especially cheerful tat in the Marketplace. We left with a few more photos frames and an idea in new garden furniture, but didn't scoop up the 'home level up' feeling that I've come to know Ikea for.

What wasn't a disappointment was Twilight. Rebecca and I popped over to Louis and Rachel's for a movie night, and we wanted something iconic and could fit in the 'so bad it's good' category. Well, 2008 vampires scratched the itch for us. Tonally the film struck a good balance of not taking itself too seriously, but when it did it fell on its face in fun ways. By no means a masterpiece, but a good time with a good crowd anyway.

Planning the Pave

In between a bit of prep work for my upcoming work week I made time to go for a small run and to do a spot of gardening. Rebecca and I have made the executive decision to cull our plot of soil that's bang in the middle of the space. We tried in every instance to do something nice with it since owning the house. First we tried uprooting the clover lawn to replace it with grass. Grass didn't take so we tried making an arranged flowerbed out of it. That didn't take either, so Rachel tried to use it as an allotment. Til nothing grew there. I'm convinced the soil and the ground is frankly cursed, that and our lack of green thumbs but no matter what we did nothing gained traction. So we're going to pave it over so we can enjoy it as a space rather than a mud patch that looks a shambles. It's for the best.

Sandwich Party

 Locked in for a full sandwich making session ahead of tonight's dinner party. I made Cubanos and in lieu of any legit Cuban bread close to me the Internet told me a French stick would work just as well. So I took my pork out its brine and into its marinade which was basically oil, citrus, garlic and a truckload of coriander. Then it was into the oven while I watched a film. It was only 20 minutes before it was due to come out I realized a smokey smell. Turns out the recipe has cook times for a 'large' piece of pork while mine was distinctively 'Mama Bear's sized. So it was a little charred on the fringes, but the centre was tasty as anything. So I bundled it all up and hopped on the bus where each of the 8 of us presented our interpretation of a sandwich. Many offered 'tasty stuff in a bun' which were all very good, others offered up a Victoria sandwich, someone else brought their fire pit to make s'mores. The most creative by a longshot was the 'Bready, Steady, Sandwich' round in which we were paired off and given 90 seconds to make the tallest and tastiest sandwich. When the votes for the winner came through I couldn't believe that I came first! Glad all the hard words paid off during such a fun dinner party.