State of the Union

It's been another while since I've posted, so I thought I would do a little bit of catch up.

For starters, there's some good news on the moving front as I alluded to in a previous post. The wife and I have decided to stick it out here for another year in order to shut some things down properly and to get some closure that we maybe wouldn't had we found some way to bolt this summer. This ends up working better for everyone, I think, since it gives me time to find something decent to do and gives Jen time to apply for some grant money and apply to Queens her PHD. I'm actually pretty excited that she's considering going the academic route because it's something she's quite good at. She may not be able to find her keys on a hourly basis, but I know that brain power is being pout to good use elsewhere. I'm really proud that she slogged through the quagmire that has been the last couple of years of our life and managed to finish her Masters with flying colours. Next step for her is to do some publishing, I think, so I hope she finds some opportunities there.

On my end, the job hunt continues. I've got the heads up on a couple of things I may be able to get into but there's nothing for sure yet, so I'm not going to talk about it yet. If any one of them becomes a more solid prospect, I'll back on with a 'Mike-Found-a-Job' post post haste.

I'm still working on the treatment for my Smitten story which is coming along well. It keeps growing beyond its initial outline which is kind of exciting and a little intimidating. The characetrs are becoming more and more real every day, though, so I can't think anything but good things for the new direction.

I'm also thinking of it more in terms of a comic script than a screenplay which is a nice change. Smitten started out as a film script and it took the longest time for me to shake that perception of it. Having it grounded to the page now makes the plotting and staging quite a bit easier for me. There's a better rhythm to it, now. I think when I started conceiving brand-new scenes I moved beyond my preconceived notions of how it was going to play out. My original vision for how flesh-and-blood actors would be handling the lines and drama just doesn't fit with what I have anymore.

As Martha says, "and I think this is good."

There was actually a comic company doing an open call for submissions and I considered putting Smitten in for consideration but I don't have an artist yet so I doubt it would end up going anywhere. No-name talent with a no-name idea and no artist to speak of - no characetr sketches, no panel work, no nothing. Doesn't sound like a winning idea to me just yet.

So, if you're an artist and you're reading this and you like romantic dramadeys, fire me a link or an e-mail and we'll chat.

Yeah, dream on, Mike.

Then again, that's pretty much how Ed Flynn hooked up with Darren Aronofsky for the Pi comic, so...

Anyway, I'm just yammering like an ass now, so I'm going to cut things short. I'm just going to mention that there should be some Giffen-related reviews hitting the Dispatch soon so if you're into that sort of thing, be sure to keep your eyes peeled. Also, whatever you may be doing at the moment, go out and buy yourself (or illegally download, I don't care) some of Yoko Kanno's Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex soundtracks. The stuff is incredible!

And with that, I'm outta here!

mike