arrowhead advisor incubi

Today is Halloween in offices everywhere. Here only Lil D. and myself dressed up. I dressed up as Mary Katherine Gallagher (Superstar!). I will try to post a picture later if I can figure out how. We were a part of a company-wide costume contest that was clearly rigged as only the popular people in Portland won. But ah well. The REAL Halloween party will be on Saturday and it will rule! (And I will be wearing a DIFFERENT COSTUME!)

I am also annoyed because my work load is gradually getting unmanageable. I keep getting stuck with these HUGE time-consuming projects and I barely have enough time to do my own job. I mentioned before that I asked for that raise because I felt like I wasn’t paid enough for the work I was doing. So I got my little raise and my workload tripled. I never even have time to take my breaks anymore. I am going to talk to the boss man again after my one year anniversary in February. (My one-year FULL time anyway. I’ve already been here a year.)

I am also tired as hell because things with the film are filling up my evenings. I’m pretty much going from 7am to 11pm every day. There’s enough work to do for the film to fill up an 8 hour day easily. I wish wish WISH it were my day job. Soon, I hope, for the sake of myself and my co-workers who might die a horrible bloody death at my disgruntled hand.

Tonight I plan to watch a movie and go to bed early. Rockin’ Friday night, I know. But I NEED to rest, if for no other reason than to be able to party that much harder tomorrow at the House of Fun. But I probably also need to rest for the sake of my health or some junk. Saturday will be HUGE. It might also be the party of the century because who knows if the world will end on Tuesday night. I am prepared for the apocalypse. I have my Buffy-style trunk full of weapons all ready to go.

In the meantime, I gotta update these goddamned spreadsheets.

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October 29, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

archipelago chore

Yesterday I stayed home from work because I had been up most of Monday night with pretty awful stomach pains. I won't go into the gross details, but I will say that it was related to IBS. Which sucks my ass.

I always hate going to work after being absent because there is usually a HUGE inconsiderate pile of work waiting for me on my desk. Today was no exception. Gurgle.

However, Halloween is fast approaching and that makes me happy.

Last night I went to the Women In Film Festival which screened “Terry”. I felt a bit awkward because it was very much a festival full of “empowering women” type films and/or “socially important” films. I just like to make silly movies. Hmm. But it was still nice for more strangers to see “Terry” and people did laugh in the appropriate places. Even though the sound system was awful.
I still feel kinda crappy today. I doubt it's related to the other night, but I've just been feeling pretty run down lately. I need some good solid time off. And unfortunately, the next time I will have extended holiday, I will be doped up and in pain from surgery. Not exactly my idea of a good time. (Well, the in-pain part, anyway). It will all be worth it though (hopefully), as my back pain has been increasing since the cold weather started.

I feel like such a genetic mess sometimes. Maybe someday I'll make a socially important film about it. :)

In the meantime, very exciting things are happening with “Snow Day”. I will update the blog very soon!

October 27, 2004
Categories: Dear Diary, I Made Movies . Tags: . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

The procurator was obviously

Alrighty. Now for the fun post!

Friday
Faye, Dom and I met Andrew and Derek at the Six Arms for dinner and too much beer. They were killing time before going to see Interpol at the Paramount. The company was great (as were the tater tots) but our waiter was ick with a capitol D. I know waiting isn't fun and stuff, but just because we paused a little bit when deciding what to order, they guy got all uppity on us and would disappear for ages. When he DID come by our table, he was very terse with us. Once I didn't know what kind of beer I wanted yet so I asked if I could have a minute to think while he went to get Faye's beer. When he came back, he quickly plopped Faye's beer on the table and took off. And we didn't see him again till he brought us our bill. Well, Mr., that's one way to get a low tip from us usually kind tippers. Also, apparently the Six Arms is a big 'ol hipster hangout now and the nice pubby feel converts to house music and standing room only after 9pm. We blamed it on the fact that they now serve liquor there instead of just beer. Stupid hipsters.
We had a great time anyway though! Afterward, Andrew and Derek headed off to the Paramount and we met up with Sherrard at mine and Dom's to watch The Fog and drink…MORE BEER!! For me, this film did not live up to the hype that I had heard on horror websites/forums. But then again, I am fast becoming an intolerable horror film snob.
Saturday
Faye and I met with a storyboard candidate at Cafe Vita, followed by our writer's meeting for Plight. Turns our writer's meetings are a lot more productive when there's no beer. Go figure.
Later, we supped at The Canterbury (where I found the fries to be particularly delicious). Much later, we met a number of people at the Wok & Grill where we were able to partake in one of our favorite past times: Making the old lady who runs the place stay up late on a Saturday!! This time she was a bit more forceful. She called “last call” at midnight and hovered around us.
Old lady: one
Us: 3 or 4
Sunday
I woke up pretty damned hung over. Actually, I didn't so much wake up as was forced out of bed by Marilyn who couldn't stand me being asleep one second longer. She demonstrated this by jumping on me and walking up and down my person meowing loudly until I got up. I suppose she had a point though. It was noon, after all.
(UPDATE I almost forgot! We also watched Ashlee Simpson end her career on my tape of Saturday Night Live. Craaaaaazy. It's not often that you can pinpoint such things to one specific moment in time.)
Sherrard came over and I dyed his hair, as promised. I think it looks pretty good and not at all goth because he isn't lilly-white, like…well, me.
Then I stumbled out to yoga with Elyse. And it kicked my previously mentioned lilly-white ass. Today I am sore in places that I haven't been in a long time. (Not like that, you filthy bastards!)
I then watched Bring Out the Dead which was just too slow and boring for my exhausted brain. I fell asleep for a bit in the middle, and when I woke up the SAME shit was still happening. I thought maybe I just hadn't been asleep for long. But no, the same shit continued to happen for about an hour longer. So I got up and checked my email until it was over. I might have been exhausted, but I'm pretty sure that the movie was also a piece of crap. Why am I meant to care about these people? Never given a reason. Alrighty then. Thanks for that, Marty.
And we're back to Monday. Woohoo!

October 25, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

Peopless

Hey everybody, guess what. Last week, Boss Man decreed that 7am was too early for a meeting. (Let me be the first to channel my inner Middle Schooler by saying “No doi”). Therefore, he decided we should move our Monday mornings to 7:30. He is in Alaska today on business but the rest of us agreed that we would meet in his absence. Something told me I would regret it, but I got on the 7am bus this morning and here I am at 7:45 all by my lonesome in this office. Tell me again why I am paid less than everybody here?

UPDATE:

I want to die. I have to go to this STUPID FUCKING training session in Phoenix on the 6th and 7th of December. I'm flying out at 5:45 in FUCKING MORNING on the 6th. That means I have to get to the airport at 4:45 which means that I have to leave the house at 4:00 in the morning which means I have to wake up at…god, I can't even type it.

THREE FUCKING THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my god!!!!! If I wanted to get 8 hours of sleep that night (which I probably would since I have to be alert for intensive training for 48 hours) I will have to go to bed at 7:30pm on Sunday evening. This will be the weekend of the fundraiser so I just might be that tired. But WHAT THE HELL??!! And how am I getting to the airport? I'm not paying for a cab and the buses won't be running that early and of course there's no way in HELL Dom will drive me (not that I would ask him). Fucking Little Hitler never had to do this. And what's more, they're making it sound like a TREAT. Like I get to go on a little vacation in lovely Phoenix on the company dime. Yeah this is going to be SO AMAZINGLY FUN!!!!!! AAAARRRGGG!!!
I can barely function right now from having WOKEN UP at 6am. I can't handle this.
I HATE THIS GODDAMNED MOTHERFUCKING JOB!!!!

OK. Sorry about that. I just needed to get it off my chest.

October 25, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

hide your plate cloud

I had a rather stressful debate with my boss today about politics. He printed off the current income tax tables and said I should like Bushy because he narrowed the brackets so that I didn't get lumped in with people who were making that much more than me. Unfortunately, I don't know much about such things so I couldn't argue about that. So instead I said that the reason I don't like Bushy has little to do with his fiscal stance, but more so the issues of gay rights and abortion. What followed was a stressful argument for me because it's clear that he is VERY ignorant about the nature of homosexuality and is one of those uninformed people who believe that it's a choice they make and that it would be easier for them to ignore it and marry a woman. I won't get into what my arguments were because, obviously, you guys know this isn't true. So I had to explain to him about the fact that it's a natural thing that can't be helped and furthermore isn't even a bad thing. Ordinarily, this wouldn't be so stressful for me but in this case it was because a) he's my boss and b) he's a good person so I couldn't just dismiss him as being a christian right asshole. Our debate was interrupted by the phone ringing and then he had to go to a meeting. I was a little frazzled at that point anyway. But he came back later and told me that he didn't want me to think that he was disrespectful of my views and that he actually saw my point and was rethinking things a bit. Of course, he's still gonna vote for Bushy, but maybe further down the road, he might be the kind of guy to actually vote FOR gay rights (should we get such opportunities). So, score one for us, I suppose. But ever since then I've been a little more on edge. I'm gonna be a wreck on the 2nd.

October 22, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

Team America: Fuck Yeah!

Last night I finally saw Team America. (I know it's been out for less than a week, but there was a time when I would have insisted on seeing it on opening night. That was impossible this time).

The review in The Stranger had this criticism of the film:
“It's far too one-sided for its own good. The film is so busy skewering the pomposity of liberals that it almost lets conservatives off the hook, as though the filmmakers took a dare to try to make the most outrageous political satire possible without mentioning a certain name. It's telling that the right's biggest puppet, dear old Dubya, is basically given a pass.”

Reading that before seeing Team America, I was a little worried. I've seen less than perfect South Park episodes. Then again, I've also seen sheer genius. (The Great Expectations episode and the Radiohead episode come to mind).

Well, the movie started and I was laughing from the get-go, whatwith the exploding opening credits followed by another explosion. The songs are, as usual, a strong point (I especially like the ballad “Pearl Harbor Sucks (And I Miss You)”). And then there is the “criticism” of liberal Hollywood. It was then that I realised that some liberals just can't take a goddamned joke. And that's all it was. It IS silly that these celebrities take themselves so seriously. They're fucking actors for christsake! They have the same ideas as any other liberal, yet somehow they feel that just because they are famous, it is up to them to “save the world”. It's true that money talks. But it often feels like it's more of a publicity thing for them than it is social work. Bono is a good example of this.

As for Bushy's absence in the film, I didn't miss him. For one thing, the man practically makes fun of himself. If I need it pointed out to me, Jon Stewart already has that market cornered. It seems to me that Trey and Matt set out to have a good time. They've mentioned before that they only want to make each other laugh. It is clear in interviews that most of the motivation for the jokes are just that “it's funny to see puppets do stuff”. And it is. Especially when puppets fight and explode and die horrible, gruesome deaths. That IS funny. And it's just as funny to see Susan Sarandon splat on the sidewalk as it would be to see Bushy die in a similar fashion.

In short, Team America is a comedy. These are heavy times, so it's nice to see smart that's also light on the social. For the most part, they just wanted to make fun of actors and the silliness of action movies. And I don't mind. I think people expected too much because Bigger, Longer and Uncut was so political. But I honestly don't think they were going for that so much this time. If I want to laugh about politics, I will watch The Daily Show. If I want to laugh about Ben Afleck, I will watch South Park (“You almost make me forget about tacos!”) or Team America. And I'm fine with that order of things.

October 21, 2004
Categories: Filmpinions . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

Announcement

I've decided to Protect some old posts for various reasons. Avid readers of my LJ will have an idea of what those are. But if you get an LJ account and then become my LJ friend (it's free so you have no excuse not to) then you will be able to read the fun, juicyness of these hidden posts. :P

October 20, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

the cap flew off

I'm having a really hard time focusing on work today. Part of it is because there's a lot of exciting things happening with the movie(s). I have created a new blog for Tangent Productions which I will start posting to soon (probably tomorrow, as we have a meeting tonight). It can be found heyah. Please visit it!
I am also distracted because I have this client event I painstakingly planned for our clients here, and we have a VERY limited budget. Well, I invited more than our capacity because in the past only 1/3 of the people we've invited to things have accepted the invitations. Well, so far I've gotten a 100% yes RSVP rate. That makes me very nervous. 20 people HAVE to RSVP no or it's my ass. 15 of those people are clients of the Portland office. They had me invite these people under the pretense that “most of them will probably say no”. Well guess what, MOST of them have said yes so far. I'm very very nervous about this.
I'm also SUPER annoyed at the Lil'est Dictator. I haven't mentioned her in a while because I've been bitching about her in emails to my Portland Buddy, so I have been getting it out of my system (mostly), but she's really been getting on my nerves lately. First of all, she was out sick ALL last week, only coming in for about 3 hours one day. This isn't ENTIRELY unheard of, as it is flu season. But she didn't call in sick once. Boss Man had to call her every day to find out if she was going to come in. He's a very lenient guy so he didn't really yell at her either. But he wondered if she was trying to protest something. She does have a CFA exam coming up which she has failed twice so far (and is SO pissed about it that she BANNED Boss from mentioning his CFA qualifications in the office. What?). So she might have been studying for it. But it's not like she doesn't study IN the office. Also, pretty soon I will be doing her job entirely and she seems to think I'm not ready for it. So she might have been protesting to prove that I would fall apart without her. But I didn't. Not at all. I don't know what her motivations are.
Today Boss and I are taking the intern to lunch because she is AWESOME and we don't pay her. When Lil D. caught wind of it, she got all up-in-arms that she wasn't invited (even though she doesn't even SPEAK to the intern) and Boss had to reason with her about how it wasn't an “exclusion” situation. She ended up speaking with the money person in Portland about why they get to go to lunch on the company once a month and we don't. I don't know what the outcome of that conversation was but the bottom line is that she needs to CHILL THE FUCK OUT!! A) She makes a TON of money so she can buy her own damned lunch B) She can't have EVERYTHING she wants all the time C) We get all kinds of allowances here that they don't get in the PTLD (like being able to skip work for a week w/o calling in and NOT getting sacked D) It pisses me off that she treats Boss Man with no respect whatsoever when he is very nice and always tries to be fair to everybody and finally E) SHUT THE HELL UP, BITCH.

Ok, I'm done. Sorry about that.

October 19, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

detour systemic

WEEKEND UPDATE

Friday
I came home from work and took a big fucking nap, as I had a long night ahead of me. First, I stopped at the Canterbury to say goodbye to Katie who is moving to Colorado today. Then, I joined Sherwood and Ryan. We jetted on over to Queen Anne to a housewarming party for a friend from college. For some reason, Sherwood and I were not prepared for the sheer number of awkward encounters we were going to have, so we proceeded to down the liquid courage in record breaking time. Flash forward to (probably a pathetically short time later) and I was found giving enthusiastic movie recommendations to a college student (who was writing down everything. I kid you not) and taking puffs from a hookah which, to the dismay of my hindsight (and lungs) was filled with entirely the WRONG type of smokeable plant. Later, we hitched a ride home with a very surly designated driver.

Saturday
I awoke around 11:00 and found myself with a hangover and very sore lungs. I took several ibuprofen, force-fed myself water and attempted to watch “The Triplets Of Belleville”. It turns out that even though the animation is cool, it is still a French film and therefore, did little to help my headache. I returned to bed until 1:45 with no regrets. Later, Meep and I went a little Halloween decoration crazy at Walgreens.
I ended up at Meep’s house with Dom, Roxy and Sherwood. Sherwood brought over one of the funniest things any of us had seen in a long time. Some geniuses had overdubbed the old G.I. Joe PSA's with hilarity. And guess what! It ENSUED all over our asses! Later, Elyse, Andrew, Gene and Elyse's very sleepy friend from out of town arrived. We watched what we came there for which was Dawn of the Dead (1979, beyotch) and enjoyed remarking on how much times have changed since then. For instance, you ain't gonna find an ammo store, a liquor store or a caviar store in the mall these days. Therefore, if the zombies attack tomorrow, the best place for us to go would be, not Northgate, but Ted Nugent's house. Take note, people.

Sunday
Boring. Lots of organizing, sleeping (yay) and yoga. Oh, and “Meeting People is Easy”, the Radiohead documentary which is beautifully shot and also makes you realise that Thom Yorke is not so much a big whiny baby, as he is a poster child for Social Anxiety. Yikes.

The P.S.
Who wants to see Team America on Wednesday at 7:15 at the Neptune?

October 18, 2004
Categories: Dear Diary . Tags: . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

Re: On the mosaic floor

I VOTED TODAY!!!

I got my absentee ballot yesterday. I eagerly ripped open the envelope and bubbled right next to John F. Kerry (interesting middle initial, eh). There was a LOT of stuff to vote for on that thing, including a bill to ban monorail construction (which I voted AGAINST. Stupid SUV driving arseholes, stop trying to block the monorail!!!). I mailed in my ballot today. I shall track the number at this website to make sure it gets there ok. Now all I can do is sit back and hold my breath…

Happy Friday, everybody. It's still pretty up in the air about what I'm doing tonight. There are several parties about. I will definitely stop in at the Canterbury to say goodbye to Katie. I might hit up the Danwarming party. I'm not sure what else.

Tomorrow, however, is the Night of the Dawn of the Dead at Faye's house. We are going to watch Dawn of the Dead (ORIGINAL, fank you very much) and revel in it's stupendousness. After that, we will let the booze guide us.

Earlier in the day, (2-6pm) 1 or several of mine/Dom/Faye's films will be showing at The Market Theatre in Post Alley. It's some on-the-fly festival to benefit kids. Admission is $10. For the children. Think of the children. For god's sake.

I need a new little mood icon. My punk rock dragon is cute but all his expressions look the same.

PS: I NEED to see Team America at some point!!

October 15, 2004
Categories: Uncategorized . . Author: Baxter . Comments: Leave a comment

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