Supersized

I've seen the movie, Supersize Me, twice now. Superb! It reminds me of Moore's style, which, while I don't agree with his politics, I like a lot. None of us at work are going to eat fast food anymore. We'll see how long that lasts.

It's not as if I'm not busy enough--maybe that I just like to punish myself--but I've been offered something on the side that I can't pass up. My emmy-award-winning, national-television-syndicated, film-reviewer friend is starting a regionally distributed magazine (Utah, Nevada, California) and has asked me to be the music editor. It pays next to nothing, if anything at all, but it's a great opportunity to get my resume going in the direction I had intended when I got my English degree. We're off to the Sundance Film Festival, press passes in hand to see one of the concerts that'll be there this week. I didn't know this, but music is big at Sundance, what with all the bands vying to get their music into films. I'm nervous. I don't fancy myself the best writer, but, as Norman R. Augustine said, "Motivation will almost always beat mere talent." Wait a minute...motivation? Oh, hell. I'm in trouble now.

Opportunity Knocks

But I can't find the door. I didn't realize the consumer video business was so cutthroat. My buddy got a gig following a high school dance team through their season. The coach is a friend of his and when she found out he was doing that kind of thing now, she called up the company the school has always gone through to tell them she was no longer in need of their services. "You know you have to buy the state competition video from us, don't you?" they shot at her. "Your guy won't be allowed in there." We all scoffed at that. Who would keep a couple of guys trying to make an honest buck out of a state dance competition?
We're not laughing anymore. Apparently this other company has a monopoly. No one else is allowed to do business with any of the high schools in the state. How is that possible? What happened to the great American capitalistic concepts like competition and free trade? It looks like the only way we're going to be able to shoot the state comp is to sneak our cameras in and look like proud parents. I didn't realize there was a consumer video mafia in Utah.

Then there's the wedding video crowd. Weddings are huge business in Utah and it seems like everyone and their pet poodle is doing the video thing. There's a wedding expo every year here that costs $700 for a booth. That's understandable. I can deal with that. What I can't deal with is the fact that only five videographers are allowed in, and there's a waiting list with 85 companies on it.

Every novel idea I come up with already has 50 people doing it. I'm not into this struggling for the legal tender thing. Why can't making a living be easy: I do a video that I think looks good and people pay me. What's the matter with that business plan?

The Snow's Here

And I'm going to pummel the local weather man who said we wouldn't get any down here in the valley. Yesterday my buddy and I were cheering him on like he was playing in the Ute game against Pitt. Then today I get up and there are three inches of snow on my car. Lying jerk. If you're going to make that much money to prognosticate, you'd better be right.
And why are there so many accidents on the roads when there's a snow storm like this one? Why do people who live in Utah, whose license plates say "The greatest snow on earth," think they can drive the way they would if the roads were spotless? I don't mind a little slowing--in fact it's necessary. But the roads become shopping mall parking lots because a most of these idiot Utah drivers think snow isn't slippery or that having four-wheel-drive will help them stop when they gotten themselves in deep crap. One guy hit the wall on the side of the freeway and another had stopped in the middle of the right lane and was standing outside talking on his cell phone. OK, that's enough of that.
Princess Rufflebutt is eating again! She'd lost two pounds last week, which, for a twenty-two pound kid, is a lot. That's almost ten percent! We found out that we've been exacerbating the situation by giving her milk. The throwing up stopped and was replaced by the worst case of diarrhea I've ever seen and we were making it worse with the milk. But she wasn't eating anything. I don't know how she's been surviving. The doctor told us to give her anything she'd eat and drink, even soda and cookies. We are and she is going to town on those things. I'm afraid she'll never eat real food again. She's her happy, chatty self again, though, and for that, I'm grateful.

Still on the Road

Another mile marker passed. There's a theory circulating among a few of us at work that time seems to be speeding up lately, and it sure seems to be true. It seems like the millenium came and went just a few days ago.

2004 leaves us with a tragedy that boggles the mind. I can't believe that so many people have died in the Asian tsunami. It's hard to watch the images depicting all of the carnage. I can't imagine what it must be like to be there.

We're a little worried here at home; Princess Rufflebutt acquired some kind of illness a few days ago. For about three days she's thrown up everything she's eaten or drunk, and until today she hasn't wanted to eat anything at all. It's as if her tiny body has developed a sudden disdain for nourishment. All she wants is to be held by me and me alone. She doesn't want her mother, just me. I like the attention, but it makes it hard to get anything done. She's getting better though. She didn't vomit as much today as she has been and she's been playing and bringing me books to read to her. It's a relief. There's not much of her to waste away by not consuming anything.

The rest of the family is doing well, though. We had a great Christmas--Santa was very good to us--and I think 2005 is going to be wonderful. Happy new year!