Dragon*Con Day 0

So, it's anyone's best guess how much 'free' time I'm going to have while at the convention to write, so I figure to help pass the over 3 hours that I'm early to the airport for my flight to Atlanta I might as well start now! My phrase for the day in reagards to how I'm feeling has been that "my excitement bubbleth over" and that certainly applies! Starting with getting here to the airport waaaaaay early and now just sitting here nearly bouncing waiting to go (though part of the bounce I'm sure is the 3 cups of coffee I had at the resturant for breakfast). I'm also of the oppinion that the best waitress/waiter people are in airport resturants. So nice and attentive and actually stop to have a conversation about where you're headed and what's on the itinerary! Pancakes, bacon, potatos, and coffee for $10... that's about all it takes to satisfy me in the morning(free airport wi-fi is just like an added dessert)!

Plane is not here yet, but it takes off around 1pm so I'm not too concerned. I took the time to e-mail the realtor I've been working with looking for a condo and let her know that I'm just not going to be able to swing it right now. I can make the mortgage payments and even the down payment, but after really really detailing out what my budget would look like it turns out I'd have $21 extra unallocated money per month. That's so not going to cut it. Any hickup in the status quo and I'd be underwater faster than a mob informant with a cinderblock chained to his feet. So, I'm back to considering other options, apartment with roomate, staying at home with a bit more strict of a budget/plan, or anything else that might come up. While it wasn't exactly what I'd have liked to have happened, it does work out, and in fact might speed up my overall life plans. In a few short years I can have both my timeshare and movie prop and costume collection entirely paid off which would put me very much ahead, and even have some more saved up so I can get a bigger place sooner. Instead of having the intermedieary condo now, I can pay off my future stuff and then get the bigger more permanent condow before 30 instead of after. Kind of exciting when I look more at the future than my wants in the present.

That would then give me 10 years to find the perfect property on a lake in PA to buy when my life insurance intrest matures enough to where I can pull out a few hundred thousand and possibly have my cabin built and livable before 50! That would totally be awesome. Now, obviously this is just the outline/rough draft as you can imagine. Things like, injury, spouse, WWIII, etc might play a part in how it all goes... but I've got a dream and a plan!

Now, I know this hasn't really been about Dragon*Con yet, but whatever. I'm not there yet, and really haven't really looked at the schedule too well so I should probably get on that while I still have the wi-fi. My main purpose there is really to promote Browncoats:Redemption, overflow our pannel venue (which is Sunday morning, September 6th at 11:30am at the Marriot in rooms L401-403 on the first floor, tell all your friends), and ideally having all the major news outlets covering the convention a buzz with our film!!! And ya know, if I happen to meet Patrick Stewart or someone, well, that's ok too ;-)

Browncoats: Redemption

So, one of the most prominent activities that has been taking up more time than I've actually ever sat down and counted is the independent film I've been working on called Browncoats:Redemption. Well, since May 4th, which was basically the last real post, I've gone down to MD in excess of twenty times to help build, promote, and show off our set. We had an 8,000 sq ft warehouse in which we built the set for the ship. It probably was the most physically and mentally challenging experience I've been involved with ever. Whether it was the mental intensity required to plan and figure out just how we're going to build the cargo bay, or frame the cockpit window of the ship, or the physical endurance of raising a 12ft wide by 16ft high wall and holding it in place while it was secured to the wall, building these sets took everyone's abilities and forced us to operate as sharp as we ever have to get the job accomplished.

I've helped build the sets for high school musicals, even worked with a friend's construction company for a while, but the amount of confidence and new found ability I've taken away from this project is unparalleled. To quote Firefly, we literally "did the impossible, and that made us mighty." According to Facebook I've made 47 new and close friends from this project. Wonderful, amazing people that possess a dedication and loyalty that is all too rare nowadays. We all truly bonded over Redemption to the level that a score of us get together monthly for our "Shindig's" to keep the spirit and friendship we've formed intact until (and hopefully after too) the movie's official release at Dragon*Con 2010.

I could go on and on, but I'll leave it at that. Over the course of the next year I'll be periodically posting behind the scenes pictures, explanations of how we did what we did, stories, anecdotes, and memories from filming. I've no doubt that over the course of just building the set I've spent hundreds of hours driving to, from or working on this project, and as such is probably the biggest chunk of time that took me away from sitting at a computer typing. I suppose that's the trade off of living life, instead of letting it live you... or something like that.

This coming weekend I will be at Dragon*Con promoting the movie, hanging out with many friends, and trying to conquer the overwhelming scope of this convention so that next year, for the movie premier, I'll be like a pro ;-) If any of the handful of you have your interest piqued please head over to the website for Browncoats:Redemption for more information, behind the scenes videos, and the latest information about our project!!! For now, I leave you with the teaser to our Panel and Trailer release at Dragon*Con 2009:

Browncoats: Redemption Dragon*Con 2009 Panel & Trailer Announcement from browncoatsmovie on Vimeo.

Time passes....

I finally sorted through well over 500 blog posts clogged up in my reader from my pasts month's endeavors. I will go through what I've been up to, eventually. However for the moment, this will suffice. Hello again world.

I half wrote this so I don't forget what I'm doing....

So, it's been over a month since I've written here. Somewhere in there I caught a nasty stomach/sinus bug from hell (well before this swine flu BS), spent 4 weekends filming on an independently produces science fiction movie set in the Firefly/Serenity universe (of which I have a production journal from and will be released on here at a later date), got overwhelmed at school (which sucks because I'm not particularly motivated to learn APA format and how to write for a counseling/psychology degree) and had one hell of a busy April at work with my seniors graduating and wanting to know what's the deal with college. So yeah, free time = nonexistent.

As it is, on Wednesday I'm leaving for Los Angeles for the second and final Battlestar Galactica Prop and Costume Auction. I'm not sure what, if anything I'll bid on, because if I'm anything resembling responsible, I've got no money like that to really spend. That being said, I'll be sure to report what I do buy and how much my bank account will be crying about it. Also be seeing a good friend from a summer program we both volunteer at since he lives out there and I'm all about crashing on couches!!

Friday I head to Vegas for 4 days to hang out by the pool and do/think about absolutely nothing except where my next drink is coming from and if I want to jump in the water now or later. I anticipate a lazy, relaxing, awesome good time since our hotel just got upgraded to directly on the Strip down the street from the Bellagio!!! Also meeting up with some friends who will be out there already too.... it's a party in Las Vegas!!!

Then it's a red-eye flight back to work on the Wed after this one and back to the daily grind once again.... at least for two days and then I'm down to Virginia for the weekend when my fellow Browncoats and I invade a Dave and Busters for some good old mischief and mayhem.

Finally to round out the month, our 8th annual camping trip with all my closest friends from HS and starting work on building a spaceship called Redemption. Already purchaced and dumpster dove for items that we'll be using to help make her look awesome. When people ask me what I did after this coming summer... I can't wait to see the look on their face when I say, "Well, I helped build a space ship!"

If only I had a spare $35,000,000

I'd be moving to England and be called Lord of the Manor...

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE52F4RX20090316

Too much of a fun fantasy to pass up posting. Real post to follow later tonight.

Home till Thursday

I just can't shake whatever this secondary bug is that I got. I took Tues and Wed off from work because 1. I can, and 2. if I don't I don't see myself getting any better. Here's to 2 days of sleeping, soup, and ..... something else that begins with an "s" that I can't think of right now :-)

Blech

I'm not happy I'm still sick and unfortunately feeling like I'm getting sicker.

I'm not happy I'm single with 0 current active prospects.

I'm not happy I'm living at home and have to deal with nagging about going to sleep and saving my money.

I'm not happy that I have a stupid midterm test on Monday on information all out of a book that he expected us to just read and 2 power points he whisked through (... just a hint buddy, real life is open book, we can talk to the person next to us, and we don't typically have to answer all the questions in a 45 minute block of time).

I'm not happy my room is messy and things aren't where they belong because I'm still cramming my life into a room in my parents house.

I'm not happy that the highlights of any week consist of driving to Philadelphia and drinking copious amounts of alcohol.

Probably most of all, I'm not happy that if certain things don't pan out, I'm going to have to rent someplace again because I can't live my life where I am or the way I am right now.

But I'm doing fine... how are you?