Christmas Morning

I don't know what it was, but I was super excited yesterday morning. I felt like I was 6 years old again, waiting for my mom to wake up so we could go see what Santa had brought up. Except this time, I was playing Santa and I couldn't wait for my mom to see what I had gotten her.

Not that I got her anything that was all that expensive or big or elaborate or anything. It was more of just a few things that I knew she wanted, had mentioned/looked at it, and I went to get it without her knowledge. I got "It's a Wonderful Life" and "Despicable Me." Just movies, nothing special.

Yet, for some reason, I was super excited about my mom seeing what Santa brought her. It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a really long time, and it was fun to feel it again.

We did watch "Despicable Me" that morning. It is a cute movie, I enjoyed it. Good job, Santa!

My Brother's 40!

Well, not technically since I think he was born in the afternoon, but you get the picture.

My big brother is a Christmas Eve baby. He was brought to my mom in a stocking. How cute. No, no pictures were taken. If you knew then...

40 may not be a big deal to most, but to me it is. I sort of missed his 30th. Okay, not missed it, cause I know my brother's bday, but I didn't think of it as '30.' For my sister's 30th I got her a signed picture of Benico del Toro. One of the perks of working in the film industry; and for mine I'm going to VBC. But when my brother turned 30, I don't think I made a big deal about it, or even thought it was a big deal. It was when I was in college...maybe I was just too full of myself to think that way.

Either way, I went all out (what I could) this year. I made him a special present, got him an inside joke item, and had fun with his Peter Pan thing he's got going on. The only thing that really sucks, that I'm not there to celebrate with him.

In the last year, I'd say, we've been getting a lot closer. We've always been close, in our own special way, but now we're actually talking and having conversations. I feel closer to my big brother than I have felt in a really long time. Dammit, I wish we were celebrating together.

Oh well, there's always next year, right?

I keep thinking that maybe I'm making a big deal out of 40 because that really means my 30 is just around the corner. If you haven't figured it out yet, but we're 10 years apart. Crazy, right?

Maybe I'm seeing him as turning this milestone birthday because I'm turning one in a little over a month? It sounds good at least.

Even though we are half a country apart from each other, and celebrating the 24th in our own ways in our own cities, I know that my brother is having a great day with his family, and I know that he knows that I love him. I am very proud of my brother, proud to be his sister. He is, after all, a BAMF. Soon, it'll be visible for the world to see.

Love you Big Brother!! Happy 40th Birthday!

The Eh Team

I have a little over a month until I will be spending a long weekend in the Pacific Northwest. I am taking a mini-vacation to the wonderful (and very cold, apparently) PNW to celebrate my 30th birthday. Or as I like to call it, Flirty Thirty. (my other friends call it the Dirty Thirty...says a lot about our personalities, doesn't it?)

I will be visiting my sister in Bellingham, WA, which is a beautiful city, with a weekend trip to Vancouver British Columbia Canada!

The first time I went to VBC was for a night, yes a night, back in 2005. Pretty much as soon as I set foot in that city I feel in love with it. It's clean, cultural, friendly, beautiful, urban...

I've been since, and my love for the city grows with each visit. You know how you just feel home in some places, a place where you feel you can actually live, that's exactly how I feel. I love other cities, San Diego, San Francisco, Bellingham, Portland, Virginia Beach, and others, but the only city I could ever imagine moving to is VBC.

Good thing for me they have a good film community.

For my Flirty Thirty I have a few friends coming with me as well as my sister and brother-in-law. I would love all of my bffs, the IC, to come, but I know it's a lot to ask. I mean, it is in a foreign country and at an odd vacation time. I hope they know that I'll be thinking of them when I'm hanging with some hot Canadians. =)

Which, bummed! The Vancouver Canucks don't have a game the weekend I'm there. MAN! Can you imagine watching a professional hockey game in Canada! Am I the only one who seems to think this is just the most amazing idea ever?

Anyways, back on topic.

I'm very grateful for the friends who are able to come, it's going to be a good time. I'm looking forward to really exploring the city, living the life of a young professional Vancouverian. (right, that's what they would be called?) The times that I've been there, I haven't ever really partied it up, so I'm getting ready for Flirty Thirty!

I've been able to keep from over planning, which is a big thing for me. Well, at least I'm waiting until January to really start planning. I definitely have some things that I would like to do (concert, free stuff, park, clubbing, Chinatown, shop!), but pretty much want to play it by ear. That's what we did when we went to Portland, and I think that trip turned out awesomely! And my sister was there too...YAY!

With it being so close, I keep thinking of all things Canada. Like with the hockey thing. Or wondering if one of my favorite comedians will be playing. Or an awesome band will be rolling through town. Or ever time I see ads for "The A-Team" I have the inner monologue saying, "The Eh Team."

Geek or Nerd or Dork?

I consider myself a geek, which is all that really matter. However, ever since I listen to comedian Chris Hardwick's podcast, The Nerdist, I have been interested in the definitions and the differences between the two. I guess it all really started when he was describing his terminology and according to his nerd, I was it.

I classify myself as geek who can be nerdy on certain things, and who can be a dork at times. For example, I'm a nerd about Harry Potter cause I know a lot on the subject. Okay, pretty much everything on Harry Potter. I'm also a nerd about Greek Mythology, I've studied it and know quite a bit about the gods and goddesses and their legends/stories.

According to my enormous Webster's Dictionary, here are the definitions for nerd and dork. Geek wasn't in there (WTF), so I went to my handy dandy Blackberry app.

Geek: 1) a computer expert or enthusiast [does preferring Apple to PC count?], 2)a peculiar or otherwise dislikable person, esp. one who is perceived to be overly intellectual [okay, does being a film snob count, cause then yep], 3) a carnival performer who performs sensationally morbid or disgusting acts, as biting off the head of a live chicken [whoa, what? no no no no no!]

Nerd: 1) an unstylish, unattractive, or socially inept person [nope, I've got good style and have friends], 2) a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits [yep, I think I'm pretty smart and I do like to have intelligent conversations]

Dork: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person [yep, definitely have those moments]

Okay, according to my computer's dictionary (yes, I was not happy with my phone's definition of geek)...

Geek: 1) an unfashionable or socially inept person [nope, the opposite], 2) a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest [Ding Ding Ding...we have a winner], 3) a carnival performer who does wild or disgusting acts [seriously? no.]

Okay, so I could be called both, and they would be equally correct. I'm still going to call myself a geek cause I like the second definition off my computer "a person with an eccentric devotion to a particular interest" because that definitely fits me. That's what I was trying to describe for myself but never could get out the words.

So, in the end, it really didn't matter what the definitions were, because I was going to find one that fit me anyway. Although, the fact that I looked up definitions for these words only proves that I am indeed a nerd.

I is a bloggin...

Do you realize how hard it is it think of a blog title these days? Everything I had originally thought of, and loved, was taken. For example...I love "Scribble Scrabble" since most of these will be ramblings. Nope, already taken. Then I thought of using the handy dandy thesaurus for some words that mean writer, and that was either a bust or lacked creativity on my part. Finally, I thought of doing something that described me. Not really in the '3 words or less' sort of way, even though it ended up that way.

Writer: I'm a writer. I write screenplays, extremely long emails, and have written plays in the past. I love writing. I love the process of creating something, stories/characters/feelings. I like to think I'm pretty good at it too. In all honesty, writing this blog is an extension of my writing, a new medium to try. (and depending on how you look at it, self righteous.)

Geek: I love movies and television and books and history; know a lot of random trivia about those things. I grew up on Star Wars and love fantasy like LOTR and Harry Potter (which I've been to 7 out of 9 midnights), even know what House and Patronus I would have. You could argue I'm a nerd. However, in my definition of a nerd and geek, I'm a geek, but nerdy about certain things. The fact that I make that distinction makes me a dork.

Austinite: This word choice is more about personality then it is about location. Yes, I've been in Austin for most of my life, so far 20 out of 30 years, so it's definitely my home. It's also my home because of the type of city Austin is. Yes, it's film oriented, which is my career path, and musical, which is huge in my life, and it's Longhorn country, alumni!; but it's also cultural and open. If you've ever been to Austin, or live here yourself, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

So, that describes the title, and a little bit about myself.

This blog, as stated earlier, is an expression/extension of my writing. A way for me to get things out that are in my head, helping with the writing process that I'm currently involved in. And of course, part of it is a fantasy that people actually care what I have to say. Lots of observations and thoughts on random subjects. I don't really have a clear idea of where this will go, it's an experiment. I hope you're along for the ride.