By way of Boing Boing comes this classic Muppet take on Danny Boy. Beaker's sweet sweet tenor (?) as he reaches that high note is a ting o' beauty, don'tcha 'no.
That show holds up surprisingly well!
Monday, March 17, 2008
Friday, March 14, 2008
Specs of Wisdom
Pretty much anyone who reads my feeble musings here is already reading John Rogers' terrif blog Kung Fu Monkey (check it out over on the sidebar), but I wanted to pass along to TV writer-types that he's got a particular useful post up now containing pearls o' advice garnered from staffing his new TNT show LEVERAGE.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
132 Miles to a Deal
132 miles is how far I walked during the 2007-2008 WGA strike. I did guesstimate for the days when I didn't yet have a pedometer, including the rallies which typically were lighter walking-wise.
If I'd gone in one direction instead of in circles, I could've walked to these places:
Palm Springs
Barstow
Solvang
San Diego (almost)
Catalina Island and back, if I brought my flippers
And Warner Bros. was one of the walking-light gates. WGA brothers and sisters elsewhere walked much farther. If I'd been at Fox the whole time, I could've walked to, say, Fresno. But who'd want to?
If I'd gone in one direction instead of in circles, I could've walked to these places:
Palm Springs
Barstow
Solvang
San Diego (almost)
Catalina Island and back, if I brought my flippers
And Warner Bros. was one of the walking-light gates. WGA brothers and sisters elsewhere walked much farther. If I'd been at Fox the whole time, I could've walked to, say, Fresno. But who'd want to?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Strike Pants, Come Home -- All Is Forgiven
Wonder what the WGA picket lost and found box contains? Wonder no more!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Emotional Baggage
"So, what's in that magic bag of yours?"
I got that question last week from Deric, a fellow picketer and WB stalwart. The bag in question is a small, bright orange nylon Mossimo backpack with numerous zippered pockets. I bought it years ago, I think at a Ross Dress for Less. This bag was attached to me like a limpet for the last 14 weeks.
Orange? Backpack? Obviously, I very early gave up trying to be remotely fashionable on the picket line. When you're walking in circles for hours, comfort is key.
I did try bringing a cute backpack-style purse to carry my strike essentials for a while, but found it was too small, particularly when I needed to stow an outer layer like a sweatshirt or jacket. An experiment with a shoulder bag one day about killed my back, with the weight so unevenly distributed.
So, enter the Magic Bag. It's done good service for me in the past: I've used it as a daypack while prowling both Mayan ruins in the jungles of Belize and the eardrum-crushingly loud caverns of E3. Packing for a strike, I learned, has a lot in common with both.
Here's what was in Kira's Magic Bag:
Keys
Cellphone
Wallet - A lighter wallet than my "main" one, with less stuff in it.
Makeup bag - A girl goes through a lot of lip gloss during your average picket shift.
Brush - Unnecessary. My hair spent the last 3 1/2 months in one or more ponytails, under a baseball cap.
Scarf, gloves, ballcap - If I wasn't wearing them.
Sunglasses - Same
Two energy bars - Because you can't always count on StrikeSnacks...
Bottle of water
Cough drops - Chanting (early in the strike) and chatting over the honks (later) takes it toll.
Pocket pack of Kleenex - Between allergies, the cold, and a cold, I went through a couple of these.
Hand lotion - Brisk, dry SoCal air and wind = dry hands.
Sunscreen
Advil
Earplugs - For the Weeks o' Jackhammering.
Travel pack of toilet paper - Don't laugh. I needed this before Warner Bros. started super-stocking the bathrooms at Gate 2.
Packet of hand wipes
Spare hair elastics - For the aforementioned ponytails, or for cinching up a too-big strike t-shirt.
iPod - Didn't actually use this much. Occasionally at Fox.
Small notebook, pens - For notes, and exchanging contact info.
Folding umbrella - During that rainy spell, otherwise it stayed in the car.
My Warner Bros. ID - Not really sure why I brought this. As a totem, maybe, for luck?
As you may've guessed, I was a Girl Scout. Why prepare when you can over-prepare? Sure, you snicker now, but when our plane goes down in the outback, you'll want to be on my team.
The orange backpack worked out great, but I hope that this was its one and only strike. Now, the Magic Bag's unpacked and put away, dreaming of future hikes or videogame trade shows.
I got that question last week from Deric, a fellow picketer and WB stalwart. The bag in question is a small, bright orange nylon Mossimo backpack with numerous zippered pockets. I bought it years ago, I think at a Ross Dress for Less. This bag was attached to me like a limpet for the last 14 weeks.
Orange? Backpack? Obviously, I very early gave up trying to be remotely fashionable on the picket line. When you're walking in circles for hours, comfort is key.
I did try bringing a cute backpack-style purse to carry my strike essentials for a while, but found it was too small, particularly when I needed to stow an outer layer like a sweatshirt or jacket. An experiment with a shoulder bag one day about killed my back, with the weight so unevenly distributed.
So, enter the Magic Bag. It's done good service for me in the past: I've used it as a daypack while prowling both Mayan ruins in the jungles of Belize and the eardrum-crushingly loud caverns of E3. Packing for a strike, I learned, has a lot in common with both.
Here's what was in Kira's Magic Bag:
As you may've guessed, I was a Girl Scout. Why prepare when you can over-prepare? Sure, you snicker now, but when our plane goes down in the outback, you'll want to be on my team.
The orange backpack worked out great, but I hope that this was its one and only strike. Now, the Magic Bag's unpacked and put away, dreaming of future hikes or videogame trade shows.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
It's Over
The strike's over, with a 92.5% majority, according to the WGA E-Bulletin I just received.
Another Vote
Like a baby stoat! Just returned from casting my yes ballot at the WGA Theater to lift the restraining order, i.e. end the strike. The place was crawling with media and the mood was excited and relieved, much like Saturday's membership meeting.
Variety's article on that meeting, by the way, may well have been their one bit of accurate reporting during the entire strike, which in the magazine proper (not the Scribe Vibe blog so much) was characterized by appallingly biased anti-Guild coverage. The membership did indeed give the WGA leadership, the Negotiating Committee, and the deal a positive response.
The deal is good/good enough, and I'll be voting yes on that too. Not perfect, but it wasn't going to be. At the meeting David Young walked through the terms point by point, noting what we got and how we got there, both the gains and the hold-your-nose concessions. Very straightforward, and I appreciated that. I believe the leadership when they say that they pushed as far as they could on the "bitter pills" without blowing up the deal.
And there are bitter pills. The change of contract expiration to May kneecaps the ability to make another strike a credible threat, although I don't think anyone's in any hurry to strike again. Reality and animation are still out in the cold, and cable TV is still underpaid compared to network. The 17-24 day window sucks. I know from my years in online how fast content relevance decays there. But the long-tail phenomenon is a real thing, which could mitigate that. Regardless, all that's not enough for me to vote down the deal thinking we can get better. Important jurisdictional gains were made, and we know the areas we'll want to improve come the next negotiation.
So, what happens next, provided the ayes carry the day? The town takes stock. John August had an apt analogy on his blog: in a small way it's like how after a disaster returning residents are allowed back to their houses to find what's still standing.
It's still not officially over, and I for one will wait to celebrate until the word comes down, but all signs point to the town heading back to work, as early as tomorrow.
Variety's article on that meeting, by the way, may well have been their one bit of accurate reporting during the entire strike, which in the magazine proper (not the Scribe Vibe blog so much) was characterized by appallingly biased anti-Guild coverage. The membership did indeed give the WGA leadership, the Negotiating Committee, and the deal a positive response.
The deal is good/good enough, and I'll be voting yes on that too. Not perfect, but it wasn't going to be. At the meeting David Young walked through the terms point by point, noting what we got and how we got there, both the gains and the hold-your-nose concessions. Very straightforward, and I appreciated that. I believe the leadership when they say that they pushed as far as they could on the "bitter pills" without blowing up the deal.
And there are bitter pills. The change of contract expiration to May kneecaps the ability to make another strike a credible threat, although I don't think anyone's in any hurry to strike again. Reality and animation are still out in the cold, and cable TV is still underpaid compared to network. The 17-24 day window sucks. I know from my years in online how fast content relevance decays there. But the long-tail phenomenon is a real thing, which could mitigate that. Regardless, all that's not enough for me to vote down the deal thinking we can get better. Important jurisdictional gains were made, and we know the areas we'll want to improve come the next negotiation.
So, what happens next, provided the ayes carry the day? The town takes stock. John August had an apt analogy on his blog: in a small way it's like how after a disaster returning residents are allowed back to their houses to find what's still standing.
It's still not officially over, and I for one will wait to celebrate until the word comes down, but all signs point to the town heading back to work, as early as tomorrow.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Strike Notes: Week 14
2/4-2/8
Monday - People were talking about this weekend's hot rumors of a deal being in place, but with some skepticism. Everyone's cautious after the last nasty bait-and-switch from the AMPTP before the holidays, and by the way, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL NEWS YET. Everyone's getting emailed by friends and family, understandably excited that the strike may be over, everyone having seen the same non-news stories that appeared in the New York and LA Times and got picked up by CNN and the wire services. Talk about irresponsible reporting. There's. NO. NEWS. YET. No sources who can be named, no official comment from either party. It's a story that integrity-challenged reporter Templeton from this season of THE WIRE would write. In other news, I was cold. I dressed completely wrong, without a layer to compensate for the wind whistling down Olive. Reasonable showing today, everyone staying strong and wanting to give a good showing as we were exhorted to by phone calls from Larry Gelbart, whose voicemail I've kept on my machine, I confess. It's Larry freaking Gelbart!
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts from two different bakeries
Pedometer: 2.6mi
Tuesday - Happy Mardi Gras and Super Duper Tuesday! Went to Fox today after voting. Gorgeous sunny SoCal day, with something of a festive vibe in the air. I'd brought an armful of red Mardi Gras beads, and the gate captains had brought beads as well, so we were all decked out. As far as I can tell no one flashed anything, no Writers Gone Wild here. No hurricanes of the atmospheric or bibulous variety either, but there were theme treats (see below). Fair amount of election talk, naturally, and we were visited by a couple of local politicians, state senators I think. WGA VP David Weiss and another Board member dropped by to give an update -- in short, progress toward a deal is being made but there is no language yet and negotiations are still going on -- and answer questions. The next few days and the weekend's informational meeting with the membership should be very interesting, with all kinds of scenarios possible.
StrikeSnacks: Some homemade cookies which I didn't try; some pro cookies shaped like flipflops which I did. And Mardi Gras KING CAKES from a MOONLIGHT fan in New Orleans, and fantastic pizzas underwritten by more MOONLIGHT fans. What show has the best fans? I think you know.
Pedometer: 5.4mi, but I'm pretty sure I cancelled that out with the pizza and king cake.
Wednesday - Fun day. The three hours zoomed right by. It was "Spooky Wednesday" at WB, featuring writers from MOONLIGHT, SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, SUPERNATURAL, and others. Really big and enthusiastic turnout (gratz again, Priya!). Chatted with two writing teams both starting horror pilots and caught up with mah peeps from mah show. Everyone's at Disney tomorrow, and while we still don't know when the strike will end, there's a chance we may not see our buddies on the line on Monday, so there was exchanging of emails, etc. Here's hoping we see each other on the lot. Soon. After we're back at work.
StrikeSnacks: Croissants, danish, doughnuts
Pedometer: 1.3mi
Thursday - Everyone was at Disney today, which has enough gates that the crowd was able to spread out. I was one of the first there, a little before 8am, and left a bit after 11 at which time the lot was swarming with Guild and SAG members. A beautiful day, with kind of a festive, "last day of school" vibe, although cautious optimism was definitely the predominant voiced opinion. Emails were exchanged, calls made to cell phones to save the numbers, vague plans made for lunches in the commissary when we're all back at work. Which hopefully will be soon, behind a fair deal. Saturday will be very interesting.
StrikeSnacks: The strike classic, doughnuts. Also, a coffee truck supplied by an anonymous donor. Thanks for the latte, Anonymous!
Pedometer: 2.7mi
Monday - People were talking about this weekend's hot rumors of a deal being in place, but with some skepticism. Everyone's cautious after the last nasty bait-and-switch from the AMPTP before the holidays, and by the way, THERE IS NO OFFICIAL NEWS YET. Everyone's getting emailed by friends and family, understandably excited that the strike may be over, everyone having seen the same non-news stories that appeared in the New York and LA Times and got picked up by CNN and the wire services. Talk about irresponsible reporting. There's. NO. NEWS. YET. No sources who can be named, no official comment from either party. It's a story that integrity-challenged reporter Templeton from this season of THE WIRE would write. In other news, I was cold. I dressed completely wrong, without a layer to compensate for the wind whistling down Olive. Reasonable showing today, everyone staying strong and wanting to give a good showing as we were exhorted to by phone calls from Larry Gelbart, whose voicemail I've kept on my machine, I confess. It's Larry freaking Gelbart!
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts from two different bakeries
Pedometer: 2.6mi
Tuesday - Happy Mardi Gras and Super Duper Tuesday! Went to Fox today after voting. Gorgeous sunny SoCal day, with something of a festive vibe in the air. I'd brought an armful of red Mardi Gras beads, and the gate captains had brought beads as well, so we were all decked out. As far as I can tell no one flashed anything, no Writers Gone Wild here. No hurricanes of the atmospheric or bibulous variety either, but there were theme treats (see below). Fair amount of election talk, naturally, and we were visited by a couple of local politicians, state senators I think. WGA VP David Weiss and another Board member dropped by to give an update -- in short, progress toward a deal is being made but there is no language yet and negotiations are still going on -- and answer questions. The next few days and the weekend's informational meeting with the membership should be very interesting, with all kinds of scenarios possible.
StrikeSnacks: Some homemade cookies which I didn't try; some pro cookies shaped like flipflops which I did. And Mardi Gras KING CAKES from a MOONLIGHT fan in New Orleans, and fantastic pizzas underwritten by more MOONLIGHT fans. What show has the best fans? I think you know.
Pedometer: 5.4mi, but I'm pretty sure I cancelled that out with the pizza and king cake.
Wednesday - Fun day. The three hours zoomed right by. It was "Spooky Wednesday" at WB, featuring writers from MOONLIGHT, SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES, SUPERNATURAL, and others. Really big and enthusiastic turnout (gratz again, Priya!). Chatted with two writing teams both starting horror pilots and caught up with mah peeps from mah show. Everyone's at Disney tomorrow, and while we still don't know when the strike will end, there's a chance we may not see our buddies on the line on Monday, so there was exchanging of emails, etc. Here's hoping we see each other on the lot. Soon. After we're back at work.
StrikeSnacks: Croissants, danish, doughnuts
Pedometer: 1.3mi
Thursday - Everyone was at Disney today, which has enough gates that the crowd was able to spread out. I was one of the first there, a little before 8am, and left a bit after 11 at which time the lot was swarming with Guild and SAG members. A beautiful day, with kind of a festive, "last day of school" vibe, although cautious optimism was definitely the predominant voiced opinion. Emails were exchanged, calls made to cell phones to save the numbers, vague plans made for lunches in the commissary when we're all back at work. Which hopefully will be soon, behind a fair deal. Saturday will be very interesting.
StrikeSnacks: The strike classic, doughnuts. Also, a coffee truck supplied by an anonymous donor. Thanks for the latte, Anonymous!
Pedometer: 2.7mi
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Vote!
Pretty exciting times, not leastly for California, which stands to make a difference this primary. Participatory democracy only works if you, y'know, participate, so vote! Like a baby stoat!
Sunday, February 03, 2008
A Note About Strike Notes
I'm behind again on posting these, but hope to catch up during the Giants vs. the Cheaters game. I'm changing the post dates to reflect the week they're about, not the day I'm posting them (today), just FYI, so you'll need to scroll down here or in your newsreader.
I'll try to be better about posting these in a more timely fashion. With luck, this won't be an issue for much longer. We'll see what the week brings! Until then, see you on the line.
I'll try to be better about posting these in a more timely fashion. With luck, this won't be an issue for much longer. We'll see what the week brings! Until then, see you on the line.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Strike Notes: Week 13
1/28-2/1
Monday - @ Fox today for WGA/SAG solidarity day. Took the first morning shift, guessing (correctly) that it'd be a mob scene and hard to park later. When I left, incoming picketers were already following people in the parking lot, trolling for a space. The turnout's solid, but there's not as many people here as I'd expect. But hey, it's early. Maybe all the actors are hungover from the SAG awards last night.
StrikeSnacks: Some homemade cookies. Not much of a showing given that the WGA and SAG were all being directed to Fox today, but maybe the treats came later. Got excited seeing a guy with two bags of Sprinkles cupcakes, but turns out he just left them at the guard shack presumably for delivery to someone inside. Sigh. I heart Sprinkles.
Pedometer: 5.3mi
Tuesday - Back at WB. Chilly today, although of course we have nothing to complain about compared to our compatriots in New York. Did more standing around and chatting while holding a picket sign than actual walking.
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts. Also someone brought by $5 Taco Bell gift certificates from an anonymous donor.
Pedometer: 1.3mi
Wednesday - Cold again today, although it got warmer and very nice despite the windiness. One big gust blew a blast of that nasty water from the Fox fountain at us. Or maybe Peter Chernin has a button that does that.
StrikeSnacks: Homemade cookies
Pedometer: 5.7mi. Yeah, baby!
Thursday - Another Teaching Thursday, this time multi-camera comedy day, although some single camera-ers came too. It was warm and sunny for the participants, who included writers from SAMANTHA WHO? and BIG BANG THEORY, Jay Kogen (FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS), and EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND creator Phil Rosenthal. Chatted with a couple of newcomers to LA who were lamenting their timing. This too shall pass, folks.
StrikeSnacks: When it rains (not literally today, happily), it pours! Doughnuts courtesy of Priya, the Teaching Thursday organizer, plus pizza from Fans4Writers -- delivered by Nia Vardalos -- and another visit from the Tropical Smoothie Cafe lady.
Pedometer: 2.0mi
So begins month four of the strike...
Monday - @ Fox today for WGA/SAG solidarity day. Took the first morning shift, guessing (correctly) that it'd be a mob scene and hard to park later. When I left, incoming picketers were already following people in the parking lot, trolling for a space. The turnout's solid, but there's not as many people here as I'd expect. But hey, it's early. Maybe all the actors are hungover from the SAG awards last night.
StrikeSnacks: Some homemade cookies. Not much of a showing given that the WGA and SAG were all being directed to Fox today, but maybe the treats came later. Got excited seeing a guy with two bags of Sprinkles cupcakes, but turns out he just left them at the guard shack presumably for delivery to someone inside. Sigh. I heart Sprinkles.
Pedometer: 5.3mi
Tuesday - Back at WB. Chilly today, although of course we have nothing to complain about compared to our compatriots in New York. Did more standing around and chatting while holding a picket sign than actual walking.
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts. Also someone brought by $5 Taco Bell gift certificates from an anonymous donor.
Pedometer: 1.3mi
Wednesday - Cold again today, although it got warmer and very nice despite the windiness. One big gust blew a blast of that nasty water from the Fox fountain at us. Or maybe Peter Chernin has a button that does that.
StrikeSnacks: Homemade cookies
Pedometer: 5.7mi. Yeah, baby!
Thursday - Another Teaching Thursday, this time multi-camera comedy day, although some single camera-ers came too. It was warm and sunny for the participants, who included writers from SAMANTHA WHO? and BIG BANG THEORY, Jay Kogen (FRASIER, THE SIMPSONS), and EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND creator Phil Rosenthal. Chatted with a couple of newcomers to LA who were lamenting their timing. This too shall pass, folks.
StrikeSnacks: When it rains (not literally today, happily), it pours! Doughnuts courtesy of Priya, the Teaching Thursday organizer, plus pizza from Fans4Writers -- delivered by Nia Vardalos -- and another visit from the Tropical Smoothie Cafe lady.
Pedometer: 2.0mi
So begins month four of the strike...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Spooky Wednesday Next Week at Warner Bros.
The Thursday 9am-12pm picketing shift @ WB has been transmogrified into Teaching Thursdays, where writers from various genres of TV make themselves available for question-answering and general chatting. The events so far have been really fun and successful -- congrats to the organizers, Priya and Jennifer!
Today was sitcoms, last week was medical dramas.
Next week? -- note that it's WEDNESDAY not Thursday due to another WGA event -- spooooky shows, including mine. Come by and say hey! Or boo. Or don't come at all if the strike is over by then. Heh.
Today was sitcoms, last week was medical dramas.
Next week? -- note that it's WEDNESDAY not Thursday due to another WGA event -- spooooky shows, including mine. Come by and say hey! Or boo. Or don't come at all if the strike is over by then. Heh.
Teaching Thursdays at Warner Bros.
Writers of various genres join us each Thursday, making themselves available to discuss story, structure and everything in between to aspiring writers. All you have to do is come out and pick up a sign!
Warning: This Teaching Thursday might scare you to death! It's SPOOKY THURSDAY! Not sure you're witty enough to write Sam and Dean Winchester's dialogue? The writers from "Supernatural" can help! Want to know how to raise the stakes for a Vampire detective? Writers from "Moonlight" know! Worried that your spouse may be a cyborg? The writers from "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" probably won't be able to help (but they will be on hand for your other brilliant questions!). Yes, writers from these shows (plus a few surprise guests!) will be there to answers these questions and more...
The usual disclaimers:
If you're a writer for a genre drama (or have been one) and want to show up, please know:
No one will solicit you to read their brilliant spec script. No one will ask for your phone number or email address. No one will expect anything of you other than your ability to answer some story/structure/dialogue questions.
If you're an aspiring writer who wants to take advantage of getting some truly great advice from the folks who have lived, eaten, breathed it:
Definitely join us -- all you need to do is pick up a sign! What you should not do: solicit the writers to read your brilliant spec script. Do not ask for phone numbers or email addresses. Do expect brilliance, because that's what you'll get!
SPOOKY WEDNES(THURS)DAY: Wednesday February 6th, 9 AM-12 PM, Warner Bros Gate 2. Note, WEDNESDAY!
See you there!
As always, hoping that the writers get a fair deal...
Suggestions, questions and concerns can be directed to Priya at wbteachingthursdays@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Strike Notes: Week 12
1/22-1/25
Tuesday - Everyone was at Paramount today for a MLK Jr. theme event. A miscalculation about traffic got me there late for my shift, but there was a massive turnout including news crews. I definitely wasn't missed. The idea for today's picket was that we march around the entire studio, in homage to the civil rights marches. An interesting idea in theory, but Paramount backs up against a bunch of other businesses so we end up walking past (and therefore appear to picket) a strip mall, a school, a string of car repair shops, and Hollywood Forever cemetery. A new plan emerges for doubling back once we reach non-Paramounty environs.
StrikeSnacks: None beyond the usual WGA-supplied nom noms that I could see.
Pedometer: Left it in the car again! Guessing about 2mi.
Wednesday - Felt under the weather today, so I stayed home.
Thursday - Bleah, feeling better but the cold, rainy weather doesn't help. I'm dressed for it in waterproof jacket and pants, which keep me dry even though I look like Stupid McSqueakypants. Today was the very successful kickoff of a new event at WB organized by gate 2 regulars Priya and Jennifer, called Teaching Thursdays. On the 9am-12pm shift, writers from different genres of shows make themselves available for questions and chatting. Today was medical drama day, featuring writers from GREY'S ANATOMY and ER. Carol Flint came. Very cool.
StrikeSnacks: Pizza, doughnuts from two different bakeries, bucket o' Red Vines. Yowza!
Pedometer: 2.2mi
Tuesday - Everyone was at Paramount today for a MLK Jr. theme event. A miscalculation about traffic got me there late for my shift, but there was a massive turnout including news crews. I definitely wasn't missed. The idea for today's picket was that we march around the entire studio, in homage to the civil rights marches. An interesting idea in theory, but Paramount backs up against a bunch of other businesses so we end up walking past (and therefore appear to picket) a strip mall, a school, a string of car repair shops, and Hollywood Forever cemetery. A new plan emerges for doubling back once we reach non-Paramounty environs.
StrikeSnacks: None beyond the usual WGA-supplied nom noms that I could see.
Pedometer: Left it in the car again! Guessing about 2mi.
Wednesday - Felt under the weather today, so I stayed home.
Thursday - Bleah, feeling better but the cold, rainy weather doesn't help. I'm dressed for it in waterproof jacket and pants, which keep me dry even though I look like Stupid McSqueakypants. Today was the very successful kickoff of a new event at WB organized by gate 2 regulars Priya and Jennifer, called Teaching Thursdays. On the 9am-12pm shift, writers from different genres of shows make themselves available for questions and chatting. Today was medical drama day, featuring writers from GREY'S ANATOMY and ER. Carol Flint came. Very cool.
StrikeSnacks: Pizza, doughnuts from two different bakeries, bucket o' Red Vines. Yowza!
Pedometer: 2.2mi
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Portal
I've been catching up on my gaming during the strike, although it's a little tough to do that when you're trying to keep the ol' personal burn rate down.
I did spring for Portal on Steam (not The Orange Box), and add me to the long list of people who think it's fantastic.
It's got an intuitive, elegant game mechanic presented in one of the best learning curves I've seen in a game. Not to mention choice environmental puzzles, pitch-black funny writing, and hardly any friction getting in the way of a satisfying play experience. You can save anywhere, the lethal areas and objects are impossible to miss, and apart from those you're largely indestructible. No fussy hit points to manage or first-aid powerups to hunt down. Just sweet, sweet gaming goodness.
Oh, and as the cherry on the cake, the best. End. Credits. EVAR.
Portal. Buy it. Play it. Then watch this.
I did spring for Portal on Steam (not The Orange Box), and add me to the long list of people who think it's fantastic.
It's got an intuitive, elegant game mechanic presented in one of the best learning curves I've seen in a game. Not to mention choice environmental puzzles, pitch-black funny writing, and hardly any friction getting in the way of a satisfying play experience. You can save anywhere, the lethal areas and objects are impossible to miss, and apart from those you're largely indestructible. No fussy hit points to manage or first-aid powerups to hunt down. Just sweet, sweet gaming goodness.
Oh, and as the cherry on the cake, the best. End. Credits. EVAR.
Portal. Buy it. Play it. Then watch this.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Strike Notes: Week 11
1/14-1/18
Monday - Everyone was directed to Warner Bros. today in solidarity with the employees who'd just been notified of upcoming layoffs. Huge turnout, including Jon Cryer. The WB regulars got a smile out of n00bs to the line who did things like forget to push the button at the crosswalk. Custom picket signs had been created for the day, including ones noting the astronomical salaries of top WB honchos. There were also two big signs: "1000+ FIRED BECAUSE WARNER WON'T DEAL" and "Which group are you in? STRIKING WRITERS = NOT GETTING PAID - STUDIO EMPLOYEES = NOT GETTING PAID - STUDIO CEOS = GETTING PAID."
StrikeSnacks: A SAG member brought around boxes of doughnuts, and there was random stuff like a box of cookies and a lone carton of Ferrero-Rocher candies. Best of all, a coffee truck (read, free lattes etc.) courtesy of Kathy McCormick (CROSSING JORDAN, THE PRACTICE). Thank you, Kathy!
Pedometer: 2.5mi
Tuesday - Quieter today with the WB numbers back to normal. A pleasant sunny day, perfect for picketing 'n' chatting, including congratulating the SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES writers on their debut. Great numbers for a great show, which everyone was glad to see.
StrikeSnacks: Nada. Back to normal WB life. Bye bye coffee truck!
Pedometer: 2.4mi
Wednesday - A spindly Brit bicycled past with a snarled, "Get back to work, you wankers!" Brave words from a guy in yellow spandex. Got introduced to a new game today, one that's actually the same as a Web-based one I produced back at Yahoo. The first person names an actor, then the next person names a movie that actor was in. The next person names another actor who was in that movie, the next person names another actor, and so on until someone gets stuck, and goes out. You can challenge the person before you, so you need to know at least two movies and two actors for everything you say. Fun and challenging. Drew a blank trying to drag Josh Hartnett's name out of my brain. But who hasn't?
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts from picketer Pam
Pedometer: 2.1mi
Thursday - @ Fox today. I got there at about 7:45am for an 8am shift, and there was no one there. Did I miss the memo? No picketing today? Some rally somewhere? No, just me forgetting that the crack o' dawn shift at Fox had been eliminated, with 8am now being the first of the day. By the time I got the car turned around for a second pass to check, the van was there unloading. Whew! Uneventful picket, listened to music most of the time.
StrikeSnacks: Finally brought something myself, clementines. Also there were little packets of nuts and dried fruit.
Pedometer: 5.2mi. Might start going to Fox a little more often for the workout...
Monday - Everyone was directed to Warner Bros. today in solidarity with the employees who'd just been notified of upcoming layoffs. Huge turnout, including Jon Cryer. The WB regulars got a smile out of n00bs to the line who did things like forget to push the button at the crosswalk. Custom picket signs had been created for the day, including ones noting the astronomical salaries of top WB honchos. There were also two big signs: "1000+ FIRED BECAUSE WARNER WON'T DEAL" and "Which group are you in? STRIKING WRITERS = NOT GETTING PAID - STUDIO EMPLOYEES = NOT GETTING PAID - STUDIO CEOS = GETTING PAID."
StrikeSnacks: A SAG member brought around boxes of doughnuts, and there was random stuff like a box of cookies and a lone carton of Ferrero-Rocher candies. Best of all, a coffee truck (read, free lattes etc.) courtesy of Kathy McCormick (CROSSING JORDAN, THE PRACTICE). Thank you, Kathy!
Pedometer: 2.5mi
Tuesday - Quieter today with the WB numbers back to normal. A pleasant sunny day, perfect for picketing 'n' chatting, including congratulating the SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES writers on their debut. Great numbers for a great show, which everyone was glad to see.
StrikeSnacks: Nada. Back to normal WB life. Bye bye coffee truck!
Pedometer: 2.4mi
Wednesday - A spindly Brit bicycled past with a snarled, "Get back to work, you wankers!" Brave words from a guy in yellow spandex. Got introduced to a new game today, one that's actually the same as a Web-based one I produced back at Yahoo. The first person names an actor, then the next person names a movie that actor was in. The next person names another actor who was in that movie, the next person names another actor, and so on until someone gets stuck, and goes out. You can challenge the person before you, so you need to know at least two movies and two actors for everything you say. Fun and challenging. Drew a blank trying to drag Josh Hartnett's name out of my brain. But who hasn't?
StrikeSnacks: Doughnuts from picketer Pam
Pedometer: 2.1mi
Thursday - @ Fox today. I got there at about 7:45am for an 8am shift, and there was no one there. Did I miss the memo? No picketing today? Some rally somewhere? No, just me forgetting that the crack o' dawn shift at Fox had been eliminated, with 8am now being the first of the day. By the time I got the car turned around for a second pass to check, the van was there unloading. Whew! Uneventful picket, listened to music most of the time.
StrikeSnacks: Finally brought something myself, clementines. Also there were little packets of nuts and dried fruit.
Pedometer: 5.2mi. Might start going to Fox a little more often for the workout...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Strike Notes: Week 10
1/7-1/11
Monday - Good turnout as the WB crew returns after the holidays. No rain, although it threatened. I'm wearing my new red jacket and red scarf. They make me feel cozy and provide some psychic-solidarity protection when one asshat drives past flipping us off with both hands. A golden lab puppy arrives with its new owners for a few turns about the line. So, so cute.
StrikeSnacks: A banner day. Pizza from Fans4Writers! And the Tropical Smoothie Cafe lady was back again! It's like Week 2 all over again!
Pedometer: 2.8mi
Tuesday - Not much to report. Still meeting new people, even folks I've seen around since Week 1. It's never too late to introduce yourself or strike up (har) a new conversation.
StrikeSnacks: Box of Whole Foods muffins brought by, I think, two folks from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Or, as The Boyfriend and I call it, the Bleaf. The box was divided into little compartments, with a muffin in each one. It's like they were in muffin prison.
Pedometer: 2.7mi
Wednesday - Quiet today. Fair bit more anti-us yelling, probably in light of WB's handing out notices of pending layoffs. A fair bit of discussion on For Your Consideration screeners: who'd seen what, who hadn't received what, what people thought of what, which movies we wanted but weren't sent. This is my first year as a full WGA member, and the screener thing is excellent. Like Christmas all over again.
StrikeSnacks: A box of Drake's Devil Dogs, of unknown origin.
Pedometer: Left it in the car. Felt like a normal/light day, guessing 2.5mi.
Thursday - @ Fox today. Really strong showing! It turns out that's normal here, about 50-100 picketers the whole time I was there. Cold today, I'm wearing like 5 layers. More positive response from drivers passing by than at WB this week. Had fun with post-holiday catching up with peeps from my show and other friends. Did some walking with the iPod. Pretty high-powered picket line they have there @ Fox. Spotted Paul Haggis, for one. I wish I knew what more writers looked like.
StrikeSnacks: Bagels, clementines, and a big cake from MOONLIGHT fans, congratulating us on the PCA win. Thanks, Moonlighters! They ordered pizza too, but I clocked out before it arrived.
Pedometer: 5.7mi. You do get a workout at Fox!
Monday - Good turnout as the WB crew returns after the holidays. No rain, although it threatened. I'm wearing my new red jacket and red scarf. They make me feel cozy and provide some psychic-solidarity protection when one asshat drives past flipping us off with both hands. A golden lab puppy arrives with its new owners for a few turns about the line. So, so cute.
StrikeSnacks: A banner day. Pizza from Fans4Writers! And the Tropical Smoothie Cafe lady was back again! It's like Week 2 all over again!
Pedometer: 2.8mi
Tuesday - Not much to report. Still meeting new people, even folks I've seen around since Week 1. It's never too late to introduce yourself or strike up (har) a new conversation.
StrikeSnacks: Box of Whole Foods muffins brought by, I think, two folks from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Or, as The Boyfriend and I call it, the Bleaf. The box was divided into little compartments, with a muffin in each one. It's like they were in muffin prison.
Pedometer: 2.7mi
Wednesday - Quiet today. Fair bit more anti-us yelling, probably in light of WB's handing out notices of pending layoffs. A fair bit of discussion on For Your Consideration screeners: who'd seen what, who hadn't received what, what people thought of what, which movies we wanted but weren't sent. This is my first year as a full WGA member, and the screener thing is excellent. Like Christmas all over again.
StrikeSnacks: A box of Drake's Devil Dogs, of unknown origin.
Pedometer: Left it in the car. Felt like a normal/light day, guessing 2.5mi.
Thursday - @ Fox today. Really strong showing! It turns out that's normal here, about 50-100 picketers the whole time I was there. Cold today, I'm wearing like 5 layers. More positive response from drivers passing by than at WB this week. Had fun with post-holiday catching up with peeps from my show and other friends. Did some walking with the iPod. Pretty high-powered picket line they have there @ Fox. Spotted Paul Haggis, for one. I wish I knew what more writers looked like.
StrikeSnacks: Bagels, clementines, and a big cake from MOONLIGHT fans, congratulating us on the PCA win. Thanks, Moonlighters! They ordered pizza too, but I clocked out before it arrived.
Pedometer: 5.7mi. You do get a workout at Fox!
WGA Strike FAQ
From the HuffPo, as concise, on point, and funny a treatment of the issues at hand as you're likely to see.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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