More Wrap Up

This is me on set.

I have to say I'm surprised, though I'm not sure why, that it's taking so long to wrap up this project. I'm still finishing up paperwork everyday. I think that at this point it's less about being in slow motion and more about just not realizing how much wrap I had. I spent the afternoon trying to clean up the side patio. Much to my surprise, I discovered a science experiment in the freezer of the unplugged refrigerator that's been sitting out there since easter. During the shoot we'd placed a bunch of bread in the freezer. It was turned on then. Now it was turned off. The mold was unbelievable.

So I didn't quite get through everything out there but I did make a dent.

The other day Bryan and I went with Alison to see a screening of a documentary her friend had cut. It was awesome. It's called the First Saturday in May - about the Kentucky Derby of course. It's not released yet, but it will be soon, I'm sure. And when it is you should rent it. Trust me. Or check out their website www.thefirstsaturdayinmay.com

That's it for now.

Thanks Mom

My mom came and fed the crew while we were shooting. The fact that we made it through the shoot is largely due to her tuna sandwiches. She kept the crew happy even in the middle of the night way past her usual bedtime. Our DP had his daily gallon of fresh home-brewed iced tea because of her, not to mention the hours she spent shopping and lugging groceries. So while Greg proved himself to be a good brother on set (You are too Jeff - you just happened to be on a different continent at the time) Mom proved to be the best mom ever. And dad proved to be the best dad with his dadness throughout.

That's why my family is awesome. Because even when we don't ask for it - they come and help. But that's no surprise. They are Mosers afterall.

Happiness is...

A bone to chew on.

Mel is happy to be back to her routine of hiking in the morning, napping in the afternoon and the occasional ride-around in the car.

I'm back to weeding the garden, and am making slow but steady progress. My tomatoes are coming in nicely. I think a few of them may be ready in the next few days (I've been saying that for a week).

I've been reading The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Anyone reading this who has heard of this will say "finally!" because it came out last December and made a splash in places where books on where our food comes from (IOWA CORN) make splashes. By that I mean NPR. Anyway the book is as good as everyone claims it is. What's nice about it is that it's a fairly even look at the different choices one could make in selecting dinner. It's not shock journalism that just lists the atrocities of factory farming in America (of which there are tons) though he does describe some of what goes on. Just enough to make one question their choices, or so I hope. At the very least it's reaffirmed my vegetarian (plus a couple of specific kinds of fish) ethical stance.

If you haven't read it, you should. And since there's a good change that if you're reading this blog you're either a friend or, even more likely, a family member, I'll happily lend it to you. It makes me want to go start my organic farm/winery in Oregon like RIGHT NOW. But I suppose I should finish the movie with Bryan and sell my book first. Sigh. I hate it when practical consideration get in the way of dreams.

Slow Motion

I feel like I'm moving in slow motion these days. I think it has something to do with the movie and the fact that I had to so much in such a short amount of time that comparatively I now feel like a slug. Or maybe it's that I didn't have my typical crash-and-burn get-sick-and-stay-in-bed-for-three-days after a big job; instead I've been cruising along at about 40% capacity for the past couple of weeks. During the shoot I had all these big plans about my garden after we wrapped, but now I'm lucky to get a post up. And here's the current state of the garden:

Now this doesn't mean that I'm not going out there today to weed. Because I am. I had it all pulled together, but the thing about two months of neglect is that the grasses start to take over. But there's some there there.

Like these squash. They're just now entering the world. And the green tomatoes are starting to turn red. They're all just begging to be tied to their stakes.

And while there aren't any strawberries, my strawberry plant has gone nuts in my absence.

There are runners all over the path.

And so it is this that makes me take a deep breath and even in my 40% state, head out into the garden to week in the sun. Because sometimes all you need is a little dirt to make it ok to be moving in slow motion. It's not like the plants are in a big rush. And there's something beautiful and perfect about that.

I think the saying should not be stop and smell the roses, but rather, stop and weed the squash bed.

I'm Back!

I know you all missed me terribly. And I also realize that it's been a good solid while since I've posted. In my defense, I did warn you that I was going on movie-making sabbatical. And went I did. And now I've returned to the land of blogging most days. My garden is overrun with grass and tomatoes, my files are bursting with recipes-to-try and the Lotus Festival is just next weekend. I had to come back!

So here's a recap of what you missed in my life over the past few months:

Bryan and I shot a feature film. No one died or got hurt so it was a major success. Now we're moving into post after I finish wrapping this week.

That's pretty much it, as making the movie put the rest of my life on hold.

There are a ton of pictures from the shoot, but here are a few that happened to end up on my computer. I'll post more in the future.

all hail the almighty blackberry - this is what I looked like for most of the shoot

Mel - aka Set Dog, playing with the crew

Greg lounging around on set (this may be the only picture like this because he was normally running around being pretty much the greatest brother/transpo captain/everything assistant the world has ever known

Our expressions pretty much say it all. I hadn't slept in week. Bryan was in heaven. Go figure.

This is my Melba Toast impression. It's how she looked for most of the shoot. I'm actually hiding from the crew and sleeping in the back of Greg's car while they all shoot our gun shot effects. Of course we were in the parking structure of a hospital, so I figured if something went wrong they'd know where to go.

Ah shooting. From bum fights to dinner in the stinky LA river...it's amazing we all lived to shoot another day.