You ever have one of those weekends where you needed a weekend to recuperate?

That’s May for me. So far.

It’s not like I didn’t see this coming, what with Pip’s family visiting from New Zealand, the book trailer, Steampunk World’s Fair, Balticon, Blogworld, and a new book about to launch…oh yeah, and there was this weekend which included family portraits, renewal of vows, and an epic cookout….

Aaaaaaand the Amtrak train in front of us appears to be broken down. Happy Monday.

All bitching aside, yesterday was righteous. Pip looked beautiful, Sonic Boom (even wound up as she was) was well-behaved (for the most part), people were having fun, the food was full of awesome (so those chowing down told me), and I upheld my reputation as a purveyor of fine beer.

Yes, Mother’s Day 2012 was a day of WIN.

Now, looming ahead (just past the broken down Amtrak) is Steampunk World’s Fair. This week I’m supposed to be working on the audio for the trailer, so I’ll be getting my steampunk on this week. Too bad The Janus Affair won’t be ready, so I guess that means Balticon is going to be another party of epic scale.

Train’s moving again. Crisis averted? We’ll see…

I should be focusing on the job. I should be a blank slate on the way to Alexandria. I should feel a sense of accomplishment from the weekend.

I think I’m obsessing over this book trailer.

It makes sense, you know? Even with the previous night Linc and I took off from editing, I was putting together some audio for it. I couldn’t find the right effect so I put it together in Soundtrack Pro. The end result was exactly what I wanted, and it was built around a basic, elementary sound.

Guess that is what makes a film, or a book, or any artistic endeavor — the details. It’s the super glue of creativity.

My in-laws are in from New Zealand. Sonic Boom is over the moon. I think Pip is far more thrilled than she’s letting on. I missed spending Sunday with them, but I had audio for ACX to record, a Tales from the Archives (this one from J.R. Blackwell) to mix, and a sound effect for the trailer. It was a productive day, but I got to make sure I make time for the family. That’s a detail that really matters.

I think I also need to make time to see The Avengers again. It was a blast. Jose Whedon already had good reason to be proud with Serenity, but he really met unrealistic expectations.

Good on ya, Joss.

Back into the groove…

I got a blogpost in the making. You know, one not quite as off-the-cuff as this one, but it’s vitriol might even be too much for me. Then again, after reading this post from Stephen King, I’m thinking if an author’s rant is justified and witty as hell, why not?

Yeah. The Goodreads 2011 Choice Awards and giving good rants — two things I share with the King, baby.

Maybe I’ll work on that vitriolic blogpost, or get cracking on my look back on these past two weekends. I’m still thinking about them.

If you missed it, the trailer filming wrapped Sunday. Two weekends, a cast of eight, and an old Victorian house. It was quite the education and still very humbling that Brute Force Studios would open their house, their props, and their talent to us. This weekend was the Go/No Go Weekend as we needed to get the parlour scene down, or there would be no trailer.

The ladies delivered, and my cameraman worked it like a boss.

Now we get together and start editing. And while The Janus Affair trailer takes shape, Pip and I continue work on By Dawn’s Early Light. That’s Book Three for Welly and Eliza. No release date set, but high hopes indeed. Just as high as the ones I have for the trailer. I dropped in another production shot, this time featuring P.J. Schnyder. I see shots like this and I see the trailer’s potential. Of course I want the trailer to rock the world…but I also want it to blow people away because of the hard work and A-game everyone brought to this production. “Thank you” just doesn’t seem to be enough.

My headache this morning is finally subsiding. It started to recede when I started blogging about the trailer. Coincidence?

No. I don’t think so.

It’s the start to a new week, although it doesn’t feel like I ever finished last week. Immediately after Day Two of the new job, I polished up an audio chapter of Truly, Deeply Disturbed and sent that off to the review cue for the publisher. Then it was packing of the big pink travel bag; and Pip, Jett, Karina, and I mounted up and headed to Grimmoire Manor (the home of Brute Force Studios) to film a book trailer. That’s the challenge of being unemployed: You either sit on your rear waiting for things to right themselves, or you step up to projects and then suddenly find yourself juggling commitments.

Doesn’t mean I’m folding like a cheap lawn chair. I’m seeing all these projects through.

I learned something about steampunk over the weekend, something I don’t think I’ve heard a lot of people mention and maybe it should be mentioned more often: It’s a passion. Whether you are a crafter like Thomas, a model like Sarah (both of Brute Force), or writers like Pip and myself, it’s something we do (and in some instances, defend) because we love it. We have a lot of reasons why but that love is what runs our analytical engines. I am constantly blown away by the talent I meet in this genre, but those who excel at it nurture a real passion for steampunk. Sometimes, artists may not even realize they are dancing with steampunk; and that’s when what happens is less about aesthetic and more about art. Yeah, there is a deeper commitment and drive behind steampunk, and it’s inspiring.

Here’s a behind the scenes shot of our Sophia del Morte (Sarah Hunter). I got high hopes for this book trailer…

Day One. And I’ve been looking forward to this post since last week when I said “Yes.”

It’s my Spring Training, as it were; and I’m re-acclimating myself to the sights, sounds, and smells (yes, smells — someone brought McDonalds in my car) of a
morning commute. I’m back in the world of the working, and I’m doing what I love, this time with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. I was pleased to have slept last night as I was wound up tight. Am I nervous? No, not at all. The Meso Foundation needed someone that had blogging, podcasting, Facebook, Twitter, and the works covered.

It’s all good, guys. I got this.

I picked out this shirt this morning. On purpose. This is my way of ending a chapter with a killer closing line, as well as a “thank you” to everybody as my old stomping grounds of Intersections. I learned a lot while I was there, and a part of me still missed it. But as Grant says on Ghost Hunters: “On to the next.”

Now I got Instagram to help me with my pictures. I’m having way too much fun with this app.

And awwwaaaay we go!!!

Between the surprise priority video job at work, our child getting sick, the drama of getting out of Manassas, and WordPress for the iPhone borking on me and devouring my post, it is hard to believe we are on the way to New York Comic Con and yet here we are, chugging through New Jersey…

The recent crisis at work this week brought about an epiphany: some people are under the impression that video editing is the same as putting together a PowerPoint presentation. Thing is, you can’t do in PowerPoint what I put together in Final Cut Pro. You want more than you average slide presentation. Yes I get that. But as Jimmy has learned under The Commodore’s tutelage: You don’t get anything for free.

Boardwalk Empire. That’s some incredible storytelling there.

I am taking some cold comfort in that I did something no one else could do. It’s what my friend Al Garnett calls “the price of being a badass” — you raise the bar and people expect you to go Superman at a moment’s notice; but then again, no one does what I do there. No one could. That’s fact, bro. Straight up.

So now, Pip and I head for NY ComicCon. We want to get a hardbound copy of Phoenix Rising to Felicia Day, and I’d like to get Mark Hammil to sign my copy of Batman: Arkham Asylum. Funny thing — even with being pro, I’m still the fanboi.

I can live with that.

And now for something completely different: I’m not alone on this ride, am not in Virginia. Heck, I’m not even on the East Coast.

Sonic Boom and I are back on US soil after two weeks in New Zealand. Our ride into town, though, wasn’t able to drive us all the way into San Francisco, so we are taking the rail into the city for a playdate with Starla & Scott Hutchton and crew. While I find myself slipping back into a USA state-of-mind, SB sees today as just another grand adventure.

Sometimes I wonder if I lost that perspective on things, and then I think about the past two weeks in Aotearoa. What a great time we had.

Today is a little bittersweet. An important element is missing from our formula of fun. I feel it. So does she.

We miss you, Pip.

Wow…unlucky #13…I just finished up my blogpost from the Metro, went to take a picture, and WordPress for the iPhone erased what I had composed.

Yeeouch. Well, okay then…take two…

So last night I was watching Stargate Universe and there was a moment that really spoke to me. The ship Destiny appeared to be on a collision course with a star. Dr. Rush (Robert Carlisle) insisted on not being part of a survivor’s lottery, but was going to stay with the ship. Turns out the ship was powering up using the star’s corona. (Very cool!) It was insinuated that somehow, Rush knew everything wa going to work out.

Faith. Insight. Instict. A gut feeling. Whatever you call it, we are going to face storms in life. The important but is knowing that we can weather them. It’s like what Bob Marley said: “Don’ worry ’bout a thing…’cause every little thing ‘s gonna be allright.”

I believe that. I really, really do.

It’s really not the end of the line. It’s just another stop.

See you Monday, in Chantilly.

I’m done.

Ten years of teaching, five of them with EEI, ended today. It has been an astounding journey — the past two years of my life, recent revelations, crossroads —with a bittersweet ending, leaning a bit more towards the bitter today. I asked for a check from classes I taught in April. Yes, April. I was told that Collections didn’t make enough this week, therefore no check.

So long, Tee, and thanks for all the fish. No wonder I had sushi today.

I heard from the folks at the new job. Tuesday. I start next Tuesday. Still can’t believe I’m here, at this point. And with the new job’s blessing, I’m still speaking at Blogworld in October. Trying to get in a talk about security in Social Media, something we should all consider but we don’t.

This class was a good ending to a decade’s pursuit. Three of the eight students I had all took the class on recommendations of colleagues who took my previous Social Media classes, and one was a return student. They applauded when I told them about the job, and one shook my hand, thanking me for the class.

A good ending. What every writer wants.

Don’t worry…this isn’t the end. I’m swinging two in the circle. Steampunk, Socal Media, and more surprises await.

Guess this is a bit more than just another train ride…

I’m giving this app a quick test. I’ve been worried about whether or not I will be able to blog on tomorrow, the final Stranger on a Train for…well…some time. I’m not going to say I will never blog from my iPhone again; and with how many people grok this category…

You know, I got that feeling. There will be other trains, other adventures, other voyages.

Tomorrow is it — my last day as a teacher. It’ll be interesting if I’m ever asked to present. It’s been great. Another return to New Zealand? I hope so. Really loved the trip, the people, the experiences…

Listening to Nathan Lowell’s South Coast. Man, can that guy tell a story or what?

Take Two.

Was it something I said? I had a post ready to go, and this app suffered a massive FAIL. I’m stepping back though the post, trying to figure out if I said something I shouldn’t have. Maybe this app is pissed at me for ratting it out on its home site.

Still, nothing has changed. I’m feeling optimistic. Strangely so. I say that as I’m also feeling a little conflicted. I feel driven, and yet I’m also fighting the urge to hide under my favorite blanket and watch James Bond movies until I fall asleep. Weird, huh? I remember the last time I felt like I was on the right track. I wasn’t here.

What is God trying to tell me? He knows I’m listening….

Today is Phil’s day. His first novel, Crescent, launched today; and the last time I checked, he was in the Top 75 overall and #5 in Horror. I remember when that book was just an idea on paper…

Congrats, my friend. “You’ve taken your first step into a larger world.”

I’m combining two SoaTs here as I had an entry that never made it. Sorry about that.

June 26
End of two days which felt like two years…might have been a mixed blessing that I got stuck in San Fran when I did.

First class back from New Zealand, and I felt like all day were a plethora of reasons I should have stayed in Wellington. Sure, I wanted to see my daughter, that’s a given…but today began with some smart ass taking a pot-shot at me on Twitter. It ended with a professional brush-off that is not giving me a good feeling.

Welcome back to DC, Tee. Hold still while I kick you in the jimmies.

I’m summoning what strength I have to get home. This jetlag has been brutal, but I think it was worth every tick. Days with Dan Sawyer. Good talks with writers Chris Lester and Gail Carriger. Twenty-three days in New Zealand.

Worth every minute, worth every moment.

July 2
Happy birthday, Sonic Boom.

That’s the Twitter moniker for my kid. She had a blast last weekend with all the company and attention. Being home with her has been a right good time, although she IS upset with Daddy as Daddy has been teaching. A lot. This week was the Final Cut Boot Camp. It’s tough, but I had a personal breakthrough with Motion. I’m looking forward to tackling a couple of video projects. The class, on a whole, was a success.

Like I said…tough class (4-5 days) but a success.

Independence Day. If you see someone who has served or is on active duty, thank them. Considering Iran, we are all very fortunate. I mean, wow…freedom of speech, information, and ideas. We are so blessed, and I have nothing but respect for those who serve. So no matter where you are in our Armed Forces, thank you for answering the call.

I’m tempted to have a Victory Burger tonight at Red Robin, but then I remember what the scale told me. And then there’s my trainer, Sandra Wichkam…who would hurt me if she got wind of it.

Salad. Nom.

My last class for a month. Home to pack for Balticon and New Zealand, record the final (or so I hope) KrakensQuest, and then…sleep.

No word from 720 Strategies apart from two “We’ll be in touch…” emails and a request to join on LinkedIn one of the people that interviewed me. It’s really hard not to read into this, but I’m trying to relax…

Yeah. Tell you a new one.

I felt good about the interview but it reminds me of my days crossing the boards. Audition…then wait…wait…wait… Always hated that aspect of being an actor. All I needed was a shot, a chance to shine. You give me a part, particularly if it’s the Bard, and I rock the house. Sending Pip that clip of me from Comedy of Errors awakened a few ghosts…

So did that interview.

A week from yesterday, I fly to New Zealand and a week from tomorrow I arrive. I’d better apprecaite this Wednesday as I won’t have one next week.

Meh, I’m not worried. Tohunga is with me, and I booked an interview with Radio NZ, the Kiwi’s NPR.

Get ready, En-Zed. TeeMonster’s only a week away…

The closer I get to New Zealand, the weirder my life becomes.

In the past two days I’ve received two interviews next week. Am I excited? Not sure. I don’t want to afford myself that luxury only to face another disappointment. What’s making one of the interviews partucularly intriguing is the woman in need of a Social Media Mr. Miagi actually found me in a LinkedIn search.

I’ll say that again: She came to me.

All this with less than two weeks to go fo rmy trip to New Zealand. I really wanted the days before Balticon to be stress-free. I really did.

My friend and fellow Fantasy-Comedic author, Christiana Ellis, is premiering “Nina Kimberly the Merciless” today, and it turns out her Uk Horde broke Amazon. You go, Nina!

My EalC — nearly done. At the rate I was going, I was going to crack the 10K mark, but I went back, made a few hard decisions, and now I’m aiming for 8500. I’ll have to see if there’s anything else to cut. Short stories are hard, Lt. Dan. The story has been a real blessing. It’s gearing me up for some other touch calls I’ll be making soon.

And tomorrow I get a new MacBook Pro, replacing my seven year old PowerBook workhorse. Seven years. “We have heard the chimes at midnight…the days we have seen…”

Considering the books I’ve written, the articles I’ve submitted, and the amazing things I’ve done on this machine, could it be possible I’ve gotten a little sentimental towards it?

Maybe.

I’m just going to say it: I’m a little scared. With All a Twitter done (or at least completed Author Review and moving towards the final layout) I am now trying to get some things off the To Do list. One of them has been my offering to Pip’s Kitchen. Yes, I started two nights ago my entry for Erotica ala Carte.com. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go, you know, but in between late Sunday night and lunch today, I’ve hammered out 5000 words.

5000 words. In three days. For erotica.

Yeah, that scares me.

If you are curious as to what my ingredients are, I’ve been told to write:

• Government Agency
• Alternate History
• Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down

Erotica is hard. (Pardon the pun. Or should I say “If erotica is done right, then it’s hard.”) I never would question the skill of writers who do it on a consistent, regular basis. What scares me is how quickly this story is rolling out. I didn’t call that, especially with this idea (let alone, this genre); but it feels right and feels good. I just didn’t expect this kind of inspiration. Maybe it’s that “dark element” of erotica that scares me.

It’s not the challenge Pip put out there for me. That doesn’t scare me at all. I love a challenge.

Another challenge: Thickening my skin. Yesterday, someone on Twitter invited people to DM her concerning a panel at a Web 2.0 confernce here in DC. I answered her call. A few minutes later, she’s courting some self-proclaimed Social Media Expert (41 followers, following 12). I ask if the invite was void. Her response: “I’ll see if she says yes or no. If no, I’ll be in touch.”

Second string? Is that what I am? What part of “writer of All a Twitter” did this woman miss? What do I have to do to earn respect in this town?

First thing I have to do: Stand tough. They can have their conference this summer. Maybe I’ll go and bring with me my pictures from my first rugby game…in New Zealand.

UPDATE: I got an email early this morning concerning my Social Media Mainline Workshop in Wellington, NZ, being held in June. LIANZA posted it on their Events Calendar Monday morning. Three days later, it was sold out. I’m talking to them about a possible second Wellington event. Find out more at Imagine That! Studios.

Street Cred. I haz it.

What do you mean it’s Thursday?!

I had planned to work on my keynote for Create South 2009 but I had forgotten my PowerBook was out of juice. So maybe I am going to catch a few winks on this commute. Tomorrow I head down to Myrtle Beach and then it’s Saturday morning when I give my keynote speech.

Note to self: Remember my fiddle.

Today I got an email from my past. I remembered the times this girl and I had in Richmond (my hometown), but the way we parted company I figured I was just that: a good time. Nothing serious. Turns out I was wrong. I had made an impact. A crater maker as Hutch would put it. I’m a little surprised and quite humbled by her words.

I’m now wondering what kind of a person I am now, I suppose. Am I where I’m supposed to be, still on target, or a touch lost? At the moment, I’m on track but only in a literal sense.

You never know the impression you can make on people. I try not to take that for granted.

I can’t stop staring at planes when they fly overhead.

It’s been a long day, but with the Blogging class done I feel as if I can finally focus on what’s next. When I finish the chapter tonight I will be two chapters short of the end of All a Twitter. I have a very good feeling about it, on a lot of levels.

I’m also trying to wrap my brain around the New Zealand trip. I’m going as a guest of LIANZA and Conscription. Still waiting to hear from Te Papa, but anything from this point is gravy.

No, I still can’t believe I’m really doing this.

Before I forget — would you really sharp developers stop upgrading your Twitter clients? Please? The stuff you’re doing is frightfully wicked-cool, but it is making All a Twitter impossible to write. No more upgrades until 2010. Okay?

I wonder how much Twhirl has changed now.

And I can’t stop thinking about airplanes…

I know I’m not alone here, but I am hitting a brick wall figuratively…and now I’m considering it literally. Next to the picture of me is the job description of my latest rejection.

Two books in Social Media related fields, a third on the way.

Ten years of teaching experience, including courses in Social Media related fields.

Speaking engagements including the Library of Congress, the New Media Expo, Book Expo America, and coming this summer LIANZA (New Zealand)

Years of experience with audio and video software and hardware.

All this, and I’m blogging from my iPhone on a train…

Yeah…I’m apparently lacking the experience and skills you need, Mr Washingtonian needing a Social Media Manager. Frel you!

A bittersweet end to what was one astounding week. My first professional blog entry went live this week with Apple iPhone Apps and as you saw in the earlier rant LIANZA has booked me for FIVE talks in Auckland and Wellington, New Zealand. So while the DC employers dismiss me, the Kiwis are rolling out the red carpet.

Maybe they just dig my accent.

I also found out that I am AHEAD in All a Twitter, so I want to use this weekend to stay ahead of the game. I also got a pat on the back from Wired Pig for using this WordPress iPhone app on what seems to be a really popular segment.

You know what? I dig blogging. I’ve been pretty steamed about the rejection, but sorting through it all, it’s their loss. Those idiots could have hired me, and gotten a return on their investment. Their loss. Not mine.

I’m Tee Morris, and I am hardly down, out, or defeated. I am just warming up in the batter’s circle. Go deep.

End of a day. End of a week. An end to two weeks of training…

Final Cut Boot Camp
Premiere Level I
Public Speaking
Introduction to Social Media

I an still sick, but the point is I made it. I made it to the end of the week. While I am still booked for three days next week, this was the tough bit. I will have a couple of days to write. I look forward to it.

George Mason turned me down for their Web Manager position, but I didn’t seem to mind as much. Today, with the premiere of the Social Media class, I don’t think I care. No one can take away this success, or the Miracle Mile I just ran over these two weeks.

So yes, I was a good soldier. Fought bravely. Now, I put on some prime audio goodness and get some sleep.