No, I’m not going to get my balls licked by Anna Nicole Smith or Zuzanna.
I’ve been asked to help write the screenplay for an animated feature. If it goes through to completion, it’ll be the second animated feature to be produced in New Zealand, and the 1st fully CG feature. The first animated movie made here was Footrot Flats all the way back in 1987.
Even though it will contain no gratuitous nudity or bloodshed, I still think people might enjoy it.
I forgot to mention that the house I was living in a few months ago (the one the landlords decided to sell) was half submerged under water last night. The storms earlier this year weren’t enough to do that, but this time, half the house was under water.
I’m so fucking glad we moved because right now, water would be lapping at the heels of my comics.
Oh yeh, and my car is absolutely fucked. The radiator’s top tank blew up, and apparently my head gaskets could also be fucked. But that’s OK, because I was assured that worst case scenario, it’ll be five and a half grand to fix. The car isn’t even worth that, so if it’s too much, I’ll hand them the keys, take off the plates and let them do whatever the hell they want with it.
Now before people start labelling me as racially prejudiced, let me assure you that I hate everybody equally.
But today, my focus is on India.
India as a country has 247 trillion people. Apparently they’re all either in IT, or making movies in Bollywood. Computer manufacturers like Dell use Indian “IT people” to man their helpdesks so that they can offer dirt cheap support, and thus, can reduce the prices of their already worthless PCs. I won’t go there today. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it.
But… the number of Indians who frequent computer related mailing lists around the world is astounding. And none of them know the difference between a turd and an elbow.
I subscribe to a mailing list called Dev-C++. It’s for a programming IDE called, oddly enough, Dev-C++. Often there is generic talk of C/C++ coding, but it tends to be biased toward getting code working on Dev-C++.
Just yesterday, an Indian subscribed to it and asked everyone for shell scripting tutorials. That’s like posting on a Mitsubishi mailing list asking where to find Dodge car parts.
And today, another Indian posts a message to the list asking to be unsubscribed. Now if it was something complicated I might be a bit more forgiving. But the unsubscribe link is AT THE BOTTOM OF EVERY FUCKING MESSAGE POSTED TO THE LIST. He just had to click on it.
It comes back to the forgotten art of READING THE FUCKING SCREEN. People are just too stupid.Why don’t they get off the Internet and make room for those of us who have made introductions between our brain cells?
Last couple of days, we’ve had some fantastic weather. Not only has it been incredibly cold with highs of 8 degrees, wind chill factors hitting -6 degrees, winds of 180 kph, but it’s been pretty damn wet too.
A few days ago, Taranaki had a tornado rip through it destroying a farm house and killing a couple of people on the way. I think that the storms are making their way down here.
Trains, buses from the Hutt Valley and planes have all stopped. Power lines are down everywhere, trees are down causing a bit of mayhem, some traffic lights have been turned around, raw sewage is flowing down Wakefield St (which is a block from here), Johnsonville has no power, gas stations are closed, and one school has closed with more to follow. There’s flooding in the Hutt Valley and Wainui. Power poles are about to topple over in Lyall Bay.
It’s a fucking mess and apparently motorists are being asked to avoid the “spectacular scenes” in Lyall Bay and Island Bay. Dumb fucks. Saying stuff like that makes me want to go out there with a camera.
Oh and the airport is having waves crashing over the southern end of the runway. For those who don’t know, the runway is protected by a massive wave breaking barrier and a road. They’d be some pretty damn big waves.
I got back from Sydney the other day, but have been too busy to update.
First, every cent I spent on going to the seminar was worth it. Robert McKee is an outstanding guy who really knows his shit. It’s going to be difficult not to write now.
Sydney has changed a lot since I was last there; underground motorways, monorails… it’s great. Darling Harbour has a fantastic food court as well. I even thought it might be nice to move there until I flew back into Wellington. Having lived in Wellington pretty much all of my life, I can safely say that viewing it from the air is utterly fantastic and something I’d missed out on. It’s absolutely breathtaking.
So I’ll stay put for now.
Yesterday I had to fly up to install some more stuff for Telecom, so got to spend an hour and a half to myself before my flight back home. I rung Aimee and managed to catch up with her, which I’ve been too embarrassed to do since I couldn’t make it to her wedding in February. But we went to Wendy’s.. I so wish they were in Wellington. They’ve got the best burgers…
Then we went to Borders bookshop. There is nothing in Wellington even remotely the size of it. But their books are so expensive! A book I bought at Dymocks in Wellington cost me $99, Borders were selling for $162 and some change.
They certainly had the biggest selection, but they were absolute ripoffs. I’m sure their sci-fi/fantasy novels were all normal prices, but everything else I looked at – writing, psychology and computer books, were all at least $20 more than anywhere else.
I’ve packed all my shit for the trip to Aussie, and as it turns out, my brother is going there today as well – and flies back the same day. Different times and different airlines, but odd, nonetheless.
I’m psyched, but each day of the seminar is going to be at least 11 hours 
And the last 6 hours is going to be a scene by scene analysis of Cassablanca. But even that can’t bring me down right now.
I’m flying to Australia on Wednesday. I signed up yesterday for Story. I had to use my old man’s credit card as mine only has a limit of $500 and total in NZ$ was close to $1200.
So I’ve taken money out of my savings. I’m still waiting to hear confirmation of payment from the seminar and where it is and what times. Otherwise I’ve just paid for an expensive 5 day trip to Sydney.
I’m fucking psyched about it. The last time I was in Sydney I was 12. I spent a year there and went to school there, but this is totally different.
And I’m thankful for my old man making me get my passport updated a couple of years back otherwise I would have missed this completely.
I’m fucking psyched!
