Other People's Perspectives

Just read a blog from a friend of a friend... as if I had time to be roaming around blogs on the internet... I don't know why I tracked this one down and gave it a glance, but I was struck by what his friend Patricia said. I find it to be true, too. I get what he's saying and where he's coming from and I've never met him...

But lately I’ve been feeling a professional stress that rivals the personal stress I felt three years ago today. I haven’t had my $100mm exit from a business yet. It’s not the money I’m concerned about - it is the execution record that I want to acheive. I have high expectations for myself, and there have been many days in the past few months that I’ve been in a bit of despair about my professional trajectory. Is it time to give up the small business game and get a job as an investment banker?

A number of people whose advice I highly value have weighed in on the subject, but the most comforting piece of advice came last night from an unexpected source. My new acquaintance Patricia called me out for what I am - a generalist - someone who is pretty good at many things but not specialized in any particular field. Specialists begin to peak in their late twenties, she shared. In my experience, I’ve found this to be very true. After five or six years of being in a field, people are developing their comeptencies and, if they’re worth their salt, have begun to have very real successes.

But generalists, she reminded me, don’t begin to peak until their late thirties or early forties - after they’ve had enough experience, mentorship, and screw-ups to be effective leaders and decision makers.

http://turnseven.com/

name games

Whats up with all the "find your xyz name" posts on myspace? And how is it that I get so easily sucked into doing them? Lame little 5 second quizzes that come up with my alternate personality. Do I want to be someone else? I'm infatuated. I try them all. I'm looking for the ghost in the machine who will hold up a mirror... or a reason to think I'm everything and nothing I think I think I am. Or perhaps I'm just procrastinating...

Here you try: www.deadname.com

My Halloween Name: Beautifully Chaotic
What's yours?

Bystander wins at Vermont!

If you haven't heard already...

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone involved in BYSTANDER (that most certainly includes those of you who inspired, encouraged, and supported us alont the way!) on your WIN at the Vermont International Film Festival!

A few thoughts on LA vs. NYC

In LA everyone looks at you to see who you are or if they should know you
In NY everyone looks at you to see if you are about to mug them

In LA the palm tree leaves always remain the same color
In NY every three months requires a new wardrobe

In LA you'll spend a fortune on a car, insurance, gas, repairs
In NY you'll spend a fortune on taxis, trains, and tips

In LA the smog is overwhelming
In NY the stench is overwhelming

In LA your nearest international neighbor is Mexico... and it shows
In NY your nearest international neighbor is Canada... and you'd never know

*cricket* *cricket*

uh oh...
seems my infrequent posts and
unstimulating topics are
discouraging people to
check in and say hi
many things to blame absence on but
ultimately it's my bad
come back
i'll be here

My pirate name is:

Dread Pirate Cash

Like the famous Dread Pirate Roberts, you have a keen head for how to make a profit. You're musical, and you've got a certain style if not flair. You'll do just fine. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Pics from Bystander screening at the Arclight Cinema complex...

Going in backwards chronology...

The Q&A session after the screening. I am the only female on the stage, Eric (producer, writer, editor) is to my right and to his right is Dan (producer, music composition, editor). We had several people chat with us about BYSTANDER after the screening with lots of excitement about the imagery, layers of connotation, and overall composition of the film.

This is the interior of the Arclight Cinemas complex. Bystander was in theatre 12, on the upper level.

Getting ready to go in! James (lead actor), Eric (producer, writer, editor), and me (troublemaker).

NYOE = 20%!

New Yorkers now have a new way of measuring how obese they are as a city. A recent study revealed a fool-proof way that every resident of the five burroughs can calculate (provided they have completed third grade mathematics) at an instant.

Maximum seats available on a subway car: 40
Maximum butts in seats on a subway car when all seats occupied:32

What is the cause of this descrepancy? Seats are wasted because a high percentage of people spill over onto the seat next to them and no one can occupy those spaces. Please note that this study did not include situations where if a seat is 90% available due to 10% spillage another person sat down to take the seat anyways.

This is called the NEW YORK OBESITY EQUATION (NYOE). According to the NYOE ratio of seats available to seats occupied, New Yorkers are 20% obese.

Next time you are on a subway, give it a try for yourself. Go between cars and count the availability of seats on a packed train. This is not an imaginary problem and there are solutions! Keep counting New York. Let's make every seat available to everyone!

Saturday Mornings

BEEP BEEP BEEP It's what time? What does that read? BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP 3:15 It's dark. 3:15 A.M. BEEP
Click
.
.
.
.
z
z
z
z
BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP
OK
OK
here we go, stumble to the light switch and keep the light low enough that the ones in the Manhattan skyline are still light up much of the room. Clothes. Clothes. Socks. Clean socks. I'm bumping around the room putting on layer after layer of the most comfortable clothes possible. Staring out the window. I know it's colder out there than it looks. Autumn has blown in with its icy breath.
3:40
Out the door. I'm dodging college kids and homeless people - both equally drunk - on my way to the subway. They're still out partying. Bars don't close for 20 minutes. Usually that'd be me. But this is my new Saturday morning.
Trying to get to set before the sun does.
Every Saturday morning.
I Am Legend.