Top Ten Reasons Why Today Was Great!

I don't want to write a super long post, so let's see how quickly I can recap all of today's little (and big) blessings, in no particular order....

1. The big "moving forward into the packaging phase" meeting went well.  Exceptionally well. I think it went better than we all expected. Our timeline to enter production this fall is tight. Crazy tight. But we can do it. I know we can. And I'm excited.

2. Jim n' I learned that another very established Vancouver producer will be coming on board during this next phase and on through production. She's a shark with a reputation that precedes her -- but she's on our side, so it's all good. I like to think the fact that she's willing to get involved with us says something about the quality of our script.

3. I discovered that I will get paid to write the novel for DE and that it will get published! I had originally thought that this was something I'd do in my spare time once the script was complete, and that there was no solid guarantee that our producer's contacts would want to publish it when the time came. I figured we'd just give it a go to see if we could increase ROI. I had no idea how real this opportunity was. In fact, it's so real that if I wasn't keen to write it, they'd hire someone else to do it. There is absolutely no question about it -- they want to make this story into a book! (Because believe it or not, books make a lot more money back than movies...)

4. A late breakfast at Milestones to celebrate. I love their breakfast burrito.

5. NEW ART SUPPLIES!!! (Don't ask me why I decided to give that all-caps attention and not the fact that I'll be paid to write a book. I think maybe because it's a shorter sentence, so all-caps is less obnoxious in smaller spurts. And as much as I love writing for work or leisure, new art supplies excite me just a little bit more. Perhaps it's because I get to listen to music while I paint or draw? I can't listen to music and write so well. I find lyrics distracting.)

Anyhow, yes, like I was saying... I bought two round canvases - a 20" and a 12" - for a couple projects/gifts I have in mind, a 5-pack of some sorely-needed paint brushes, and then for frivolous reasons and because it was on sale, I bought a pretty tin that has 8 tubes of acrylic paint in it. (I didn't really need more paint... but the tin was so pretty, and like I said, it was on sale... and I'm sure I'll need more paint someday... plus, I can put my other acrylic paints in there too for the time-being... Okay, enough rationalizing the new paint. I'm allowed to splurge $14.99 on myself if I want to. Especially since we've been reassured that we won't be broke anytime soon. ;)

6. My other splurge today was purchasing the book, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. It has been on my must-read list for a while, but it quickly got bumped up when I learned that I have about three other friends who are currently in the process of reading it right now. So I thought it might be kinda fun if we do a virtual book club and discuss it via webcam or something. (Yes, I'm a nerd. Tell me something I don't know.) Anyhow, I've already started reading and I found myself hooked after only reading the first page of the Introduction. I can already tell that I'm going to fly through this thing in no time.

7. Jim was in need of a new cell phone, so for only a dollar more a month he was able to upgrade from his obsolete scratched-up flip phone to a Crackberry. (Hopefully he won't become an addict!) I suppose the upgrade was bound to happen someday... I'm just impressed at how little it cost. I guess because his plan was about to expire in a few months, they were able to cut him a good deal.

8.  Not that this is necessarily news-worthy, but I made a really delicious, quick and healthy dinner tonight. And when a dinner consists of all three of those qualities, I consider it a good thing. I made mango-curry faux chicken with homemade mango salsa over couscous, with veggies n' roasted garlic humous on the side. Okay, so it may not sound tasty to all of you folks out there... but we liked it. :P

9.  This evening we learned that we'll probably be going to Vancouver early next week for a couple days to get the ball rolling on this final rewrite. Even though I'm always a careful planner and like to have all the details ironed out in advance, spontaneous last-minute things like this kinda excite me... especially when I don't have to pay for them. ;)

Funny thing is, I almost predicted this would happen. Remember that early morning conference call I was bitching about yesterday? (Well, not bitching... maybe just lamenting...) Anyhow, they asked what a reasonable deadline would be for the project I'm working on, and I said just in case something unexpected pops up between now n' then, maybe give me two weeks.  Ha. Thank goodness, huh? Expect the unexpected.

10. Reason number 10 why today was great -- it's not over yet! It still is great! After I wrap up this blog post, I'm gonna jump into my next painting (I'll post some of my paintings soon either here or on FB). Then I might take a bath. Then perhaps I'll relax on the couch and watch a movie or an X-Files with my Jim and have a glass of wine. After that, I'll go to bed and write in my awesome spiritual journey day timer (which I still love SO much!!), and then read a little more of Eat, Pray, Love before heading off to Snoozetown.

Life IS good. :)