The Calm Before/After the Storm

It is amazing to me what can be done when management drives the train straight into a wall, but insists on plowing forward anyway. The short version is pulling the kind of days I've had for the last two weeks has resulted in severe burnout both physically and mentally. It is not a good sign when you walk into the office before 8 a.m. Monday morning and the only thing you're looking forward to is possibly getting off before 5 p.m. on Friday.

A whole lot can happen in the meantime, and it's to the point now where I flat don't care. Ah well, at least I can point to five posts on the DeLorean story and count that as a victory, even if #5 was mine.

In the mean time, I'm content that my day at the office was, by comparison to the last two weeks, calm. The recent storm that blew through managed to drive everyone crazy with so many impending deadlines compounded by the install of a server system for our video editors that flat doesn't work. It also took management until today to realize that it didn't work, and to pull the plug on it and get something in that would. The joy on everyone's faces at hearing the good news immediately vanished when we all realized that those impending deadlines are only getting closer and our technology, in short, sucks.

It also doesn't help that we have enough work for 15 full time editors, but only have five (I'm also counting our two production coordinators as one-half an editor). Our lead editor is also soon to depart these shores for the sunny climes of hurricane-friendly Miami, which leaves a big damn void of talent in the office. "Interesting" is one way of describing the environment there, with "absolute anarchy" being a better way.

And the best part is that this massive show that is going on in a few weeks hasn't been cut yet. Oh no, that starts tomorrow with the final pieces of the puzzle not being dropped in until next weekend at the earliest. The spot airs the week after that.

Oh what fun it is to ride this one horse careening-out-of-control sleigh.

The plus side is I have a new outlook on life and my own projects this year. I find it frankly stunning that someone like me who was once obsessed with dreary now actually has a hopeful outlook on the future. Burning through almost 20 pages of script this past weekend helped keep my sanity better than I could have imagined. But the real key has been My Fair Lady's unwavering support and love. Without her I honestly would not be the guy I've become in the last few years and I don't think I've ever said thank you publicly.

Thank you, My Fair Lady, for everything you do and for being the wonderous woman you are.

In less romantic news, I've found a space sim everyone simply has to play. It's called Space Rangers 2 and it's utterly brilliant. The downside is that it will install the infamous Starforce protection software on your machine, but I've not had a lick of difficulty or system instability with it. If you can get past that, there is a dazzling turn-based game here that recalls the space sims of yesteryear brilliantly. I'm not that far into it, but this game is monstrously huge and terrifically fun to play. I'll write up more later when I get further into it.

As far as movies and TV go, I just finished The Shield season 2 and Vic Mackey owns my weak ass. I've heard people complain that seasons two and three weren't as solid as the first, but I disagree. While the first season was full throttle fury and energy start to finish, season two actually did what a second season should - it built on the existing characters and relationships while furthering the story of dirty cops walking the line between good and evil.

As outstanding as the second season was, I was floored by the final shot of Mackey and the Strike Team looking at the results of their ill-gotten gains. What should have been a joyous moment for them and the viewer was instantly turned heart-wrenching by the looks of shame on their faces. They knew that they could no longer look themselves in the mirrors and call themselves solid cops, and it made for a riveting finish to a stellar season. The only thing that knocks it down a notch is the focus on Julian being gay. We see it time and again that he's constantly fighting against being gay, going so far as to join a sexual rehabilitation group in his church.

I'm sorry, but who cares? He's a great cop, a stand-up individual to boot, but whenever his "temptation" shows up in the form of Thomas the show grinds to a screeching halt. I'm talking dead stop here. I want to see where they go with it considering how they left his character at the end of season two, but his arc is royally boring.

Right now I have Godzilla: Final Wars courtesy of Netflix and I'm dying to check it out. That may have to wait until tomorrow though, but as a long-time Gojira fan I'm aching to crank up the sound and listen to that roar. Watching him bitchslap the Godzilla-In-Name-Only from the Roland Emmerich remake is the type of bonus that comes along only so often in a man's lifetime. Expect a full report once I've seen Tokyo smashed for the upmteenth time.