We had another late night, working until almost 1:00 am this morning. Of course it was well worth it as we managed to wrap up our final outline with all the tweaks we discussed on the weekend.
Over the last couple of days we've managed to come up with a few great new scenes that we're both really excited about. So we're feeling pretty confident that T & A (or, excuse me, TC and AS) are going to be pleased with this final revision.
Well, it's not the final-final revision... we'll be doing further rewrites in the months to come... but it's next-to-final anyway.
However, upon going through such a restructuring overhaul, Jim n' I are both kinda wondering what's to come in this next phase of rewrites?
Like I'm sure I've mentioned before, we're doing a bunch of restructuring and rewrites now, but then in a month or two, we'll be heading to Vancouver for a week to do another phase of story meetings and even further restructuring before we do our final-final rewrite.
So to be honest, we're both kinda wondering if that next phase is just to provide Telefilm with receipts to justify their funding, because it seems to us that the most labour-intensive restructuring has been done pre-Telefilm funding via conference calls from home.
Anyhow, I'm sure there'll still be lots n' lots of work to be done when we go to Vancouver, but I doubt it'll be nearly as time-consuming as the work we've accomplished thus far.
But what do I know anyway?
So yeah... like I was sayin', we were up late again, and then spent today decompressing. Well, kinda. We couldn't sleep in because we were baby-sitting our two beautiful little nieces this morning. Shayla is 5 and Libby is 8.5 months. It was kinda fun, but it's always such a wake up call. Both Jim n' I agree that there's no way in hell we could've ever accomplished what we have over these last few years if we had kids. It took enough time and discipline without children... Gosh, I couldn't even imagine!
I love kids. I really do. And I like to think that kids like me... Oh, who am I kidding? Kids LOVE me! I don't know why... but they always seem to glom on to me like white on rice. And I really don't mind at all.
Still, I'm so, sooo glad I don't have any... at least at this point in my life. I think I'd like to have kids after our movie is released to theaters and I've got one major career milestone under my belt. So, if all goes super smoothly, then maybe we'll start thinking about starting a family sometime around Summer/Fall 2011. Yes, I realize that'll make us the "old" parents, but regardless, that's the plan.
I know. I know. Everyone says that you can't plan for the perfect time, or else it will never happen.
And I agree.
However, I do think that there is a wrong time to have kids too... and getting preggers before our movie premier sounds like the wrong time to me. The last thing I want to do is work so hard to finally see our movie get made, and then miss out on the exciting payoff at the end because I've got an infant to care for, or else because I'm suffering from morning sickness and am all moody n' depressed because I'm too fat to fit into any of my clothes.
Do I sound selfish and shallow?
Yeah, probably...
Do I care?
Not a whit!
I love, love, love being an aunt... but being a full time caregiver is just more than I'm willing to take on right now. I give incredible props to the parents who can hold it all together - career and family. And I hope that someday I'll also develop the skills to successfully manage both.
Over a pub lunch a few years ago, my friend Jeremy once said that you can only do 2.5 things well. So perhaps you can balance being great at your job and being the perfect parent, but then everything else in your life - your hobbies, your other relationships, etc. - gets slotted into that .5 category. (Sorry Jer if I'm misquoting you, or not stating it as eloquently as you explained it.)
That has always stuck with me. Think about it. It's so true!
So right now, my main focus is on my career and my marriage. That .5 is dedicated to being a friend, an aunt, an artist, etc. I just want a couple more years to fully enjoy this special time in my life, and then the career can get put on the back burner for a little while. But after spending years waiting for water to boil, it's exciting to see that front burner finally starting to get hot!
You've got it, but I can only take credit for remembering the initial conversation with the originator of the theory: Doug Manning! It's a gross generalization, of course, and you can start poking holes in it, but as a way of looking at your own life and priorities, I've found it very useful. To me it sounds like you're making very wise decisions in this area...
ReplyDeleteI agree wholeheartedly Mel. You two are being responsible about your decisions, and when and if the time comes to have kids, you will be going forth with eyes wide open, ready to embrace all aspects of the joys it will bring, and your kids will be the better for it.
ReplyDeleteI see too many people having kids because it is "expected" of them, and they end up resenting the kids -- or try to maintain the same lifestyle they had pre-kids -- who of course, generally suffer for it.
As for your being "selfish", I think it is selfish to have kids when you are not prepared to make them first in your lives.
When and if they arrive, they are going to have the BEST parents!
Thanks for the links Jeremy. I should've known it was a Doug Manningism. For sure, it's definitely a generalization, but it really made sense to me... or at least 2.5 things makes more sense than "one thing" as advised in City Slickers.
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle. I think you totally hit the nail on the head! I hope we will be good parents once we feel we're ready to give our children the total attention and focus they deserve. We definitely don't want to have kids because it's the thing young married people do.