Time to crank it up

It's less than a month out from the BIG DAY and so things are getting cranked up. Apart from the weekly dance practice (which I sucked this past Sat. Must practice basic steps at home before this Sat's session), organisations of various things (who to teach missing groomsman dance steps; buck's/hen's night for respective buck/hen; fit everyone for rehearsal sometime during wk before; collect rentals - tux, cars, etc; discuss logistics of the day/days before/days after...). I have managed to take some time of my own mental challenge & not thinking about the PhD so much the past 5/6 days. Will start on next chapter again today/after this. Also need to plan backyard remodel so to adjust to termite treatment. Spent part of this past wkend clearing out existing garden beds next to house for termite traps. The guy's explanations sound very iffy to me, but I guess I (so far) know no details of the insect & how to treat them so I suppose we can only do as he says. But still, iffy.

No more movies lately except just order the Donnie Darko super boxset. Alas won't arrive until mid May (2 freaking months to wait!?!? Sorry, need to sound more Aussie - 2 BLOODY months to wait!?!?!). Must occupy self with other 'social' social events - graduation dinner, pre-wedding groomsman duties, bday drinks/nibbles, etc. Hmm, what about the Arrested Development season 2 DVD box that I & Scrubs seasons 1 & 2 that little bro just bought?

Gyllenhaal week - take 2

Finally sent off my project at work on Thursday which meant that after lunch I didn't really have anything important/urgent to tend to. Discussion of Business Plan is not until this coming Thursday, so I proceeded to read screenplay of Donnie Darko. Yes, after reading and re-reading and re-reading Brokeback screenplay I'm kinda into reading screenplays at the moment, so Marley & Me would just have to sit by itself for a while. Can't remember exactly where I read it, but wherever it was it said that any Gyllenhaal (Jake) fan should watch Donnie Darko. I found out that yet another version (a 6+hr, 3 DVD collector's box) is coming out mid May, so I thought I'd find & read the screenplay before decided which version I should buy (stupid sigle-disc, Director's cut 2-disc, or the 3-disc super box). Like I said, nothing important/urgent to do Thurs arvo, so started reading D.D.. I'm still failing to see why it's being called a cult classic, because from what I read (finished Saturday morning before dance lesson when not feeling like writing) it was tremendously funny. It is clicky, but funny. So have decided to order the 3-disc super box now. Sigh, have to wait until mid May!?!! Oh well, shouldn't really be spending that much time doing anything other than writing anyway. Plus, groomsman duties would be over by then. Great timing. Can't wait.

Almost finished writing Ch 5. Should be read to send off by tomorrow & have meeting Wednesday morning. Good, progress I like.

More groomsman duties:

1. Cars rented. Must remember to bring reservation numbers
2. More dance lessons. Scarping cha cha & will now hone in on the foxtrot/4-steps from now on.
3. Have designated bride's maid organised. Both of them are short, & both groomsmen (me included) are my height (well, I know I am, obviously. But Edmund is same height but smaller built) so won't make much difference who goes with who really
4. Search for glass pebbles as decoration for reception. The bride actually asked me to do this, so does that technically make me a bride's maid double?
5. Think about solution for rose decoration at reception. The bride asked me this too. I'm really doubling up as a quasi-bride's maid ain't I?
   

Gyllenhaal week

It's a very heavily Gyllenhaal week, & it's only Wednesday. Jake, not Maggie. The week after the Oscars (last wk) left me deeply depressed. Not entirely to do with the unsatifactory results (4 films got 3 each, how bizzarre was that!?!), but a combination of feeling sad after having read various versions of Brokeback numerous times (at last count, downloaded version: 1; book version (same as downloaded version): 1; production screenplay: 1; original New Yorker version: 1; various parts of the story plus various, 'important' scenes: lost count), my own inability to write my chapter (spent 4 freaking days writing 1 opening paragraph, pulling it apart, telling myself that I suck in this, etc) before finally turning around & managed to move on & get writing again. And so my Gyllenhaal week started. Good writing/editing Monday morning before meeting with supervisor. Great progress, & got myself mentally refocussed for a bit. Afterwards, skipped straight to the city & watched Brokeback Mountain again, 1st movie that I've seen in a cinema twice. I was willing to gamble my sanity away (been totally obsessed with Brokeback since end of Jan (read above). Watching it for the 2nd time was either going to bring closure on that obsession & get me back to 'normal' life, or continue my obsession). Still excellent as ever (ok, so it was the latter of the outcomes), which prompted me to go home & re-read some of the scenes again. Seriously, everytime I read it, & I've read it many times (read above, again) I find something that I failed to notice before. Must find way of ending obsession. Anyhow, back to work yesterday. While waiting for comp to do complicated graphic generations, started reading original New Yorker version of Brokeback. Didn't manage to finish it at work, and after tennis last night, finally finished reading it past 1:30 this morning. Combined with the drizzly humid weather last night, the late sleep (plus lack of sleep from pervious days) completely exhausted me, resulting in a 10-hr coma & not getting up until nearly midday (thank god was not going to go anywhere today). Attempted to write a bit, but recovery from tennis was going much slower than normal, which distracted me a lot. Decided to skip writing & went to watch Jarhead instead (thus continuation of Gyllenhaal week). A very good film that exposed the inhumanities & frivolity of war. Highly recommend it. The ending was a bit abrupt after the end of the war (oh come on, it was Gulf War I, every one knows how it ended!!), leaving the characters hanging a bit, particularly Swoff/Gyllenhaal. But otherwise, mighty gd film. Might try & catch more of others by end of March before discount ends. Already done Match Point lastMmonday, so will see about Capote, Rent and/or Transamerica.

Heavy social calendar coming right up. Groomsman duties officially begun last saturday when I went to a dance lesson & learned to cha cha. More to come this Sat, but before that, there's the fitting coming up tomorrow night, & being left in charge for booking rental car for the big day. Trish's graduation is also on thursday night next week, followed by Karen's PhD submission party on Friday. Might see about Easter Show early April as well. Chockers.

Faux tub

Faux tub
Originally uploaded by ragde2507.

Finally I've finished my faux stone tub planter! It's taken quite a while seeing that I kept putting it aside for other things like writing, reading, DVDs & movies, but as I'm having yet another one of my usual wednesday off, & after much bumming around this morning starting with Season 2 of Golden Girls on DVD & other bits & pieces, I finished plastering the remaining 2 sides of my faux tub (snowy polystyrine centre with home-mixed plaster exterior. Is that how you spell polystyrine? With so many Ys?) Here's the finished picture. No, not quite the finished product. As we speaking I'm waiting for my old-teabag/coffee distressing effect to dry so it'll look for like real stone instead of plastered polystyrine. Shall post again when product finished.

p.s. Never been around to watching TransAmerica free preview. Traffic/road work at Lane Cove just too crazy I'd have too much trouble getting home. Have not been to any movie since last post either, so no update on to-watch list either. Must find out when TransAm & Capote starts showing on non-arthouse cinemas...

p.p.s. Brokeback screenplay finally arrived Friday. Have already finished with short story, analysed it & pulled it apart (figuratively of course) like wrapping paper on Boxing Day. It's still as good as I had remembered and must proceed onto the screenplay & accompaying essasys by Proulx, McMurtry & Ossana double quick :)