Where Does the Time Go?

Someone told me once that we have all the time there is.

That's a powerful statement,somehow indicating we have some control over our time. Of course we don't know when our time is up. As my mother's doctor told me when she was to undergo surgery at the age of 95, "we never know what the terminal event will be...". Is someone in charge of our last event? Is there a big MSN Calendar that has my name and date and time of departure? Maybe not; I rather think our lives aren't micromanaged to that extent. But before that terminal event we do have control of how we spend our time and it is based on the choices we have made throughout our life. If you think that everybody but you has control of your time, it's time for you to take some of that control back. Make conscious choices every day based on what is important to you.

I made a conscious choice to post everyday, because I felt the subject matter of this blog had merit. I think I lasted eight days before I lost the thread of my commitment. No one's fault but my own. I did disappoint myself, but I didn't beat myself up. I've learned to be kind to myself and to forgive my shortcomings. When we say we don't have time for something, what we are really saying is that we don't want to do that thing. So why did I not want to do something I felt was important. Sorry, I don't have an answer. Am I lazy? Maybe. Do I procrastinate? Always. Do I over-schedule my time? Frequently. Am I going to do better? I sincerely hope so.

So here I am again, making a commitment to post everyday. Let's see how that goes.

Sharon

Pickings Are Slim

I'm on location this weekend; Camping with my family in Morro Bay. Haven't camped in forever, and tonight I'll be sleeping in a super deluxe tent set up for Bob and I with a window that looks out on the surf.

I looked and looked for a new release that was filmed in California, and the pickings aren't just slim, they are non-existent. The two front runners are Salt, filmed in Washington DC and New York, and Ramona and Beezus filmed in Vancouver.

This is a short one today, I'm outside and it's hard to see the screen. I'll let you know how camping works out. It's way out of my comfort zone, but I'm a good sport, I think.

Sharon

Have a Big Mac

I have a soft spot in my hear for McDonald's. Not because I indulge in a Big Mac very often, it just isn't on my diet plan. I do see them making an effort to provide healthier food, and at least give the consumer a fair warning about what they're consuming. I applaud them for that. But, the soft spot comes from the fact that they provide a lot of free food for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure in Los Angeles every year.

Now the frosting on the burger, McDonald's films their commercials here too.

Commercial filming is looking for tax incentives like everyone else. It's not a little business. According to Matt Miller the President of the Commercial Producers Association, commercial production employs an estimated 10,000 people in the LA area and supports about 220 companies; California is losing out to states that offer tax incentives and rebates that reduce the costs to producers.

Everybody wants a tax incentive, maybe we should simply lower taxes across the board. All of you in favor say aye.

Sharon

Blah

The number of film production days for all types of filming was down last week. I know about not watching the pot boil. Does water really take longer to boil if you watch it? Monitoring these numbers so closely may not help any, it's the trend. As they say in the stock market, the trend is your friend. Meaning that the past gives an indication of the future, so your actions will be guided accordingly. In the stock market you have all sorts of moving averages, and if one moving average crosses another, it means something either really great or really terrible.

I think I'm going to create a 50 day and a 200 day moving average for production days by category. Then we can identify the trend. My husband is a self-trained technical stock analyist. I think I'm going to put him to work. I'll let you know how that works out.

Sharon

California Film Commission

California has a film commission CFC that by it's own web site claims to be "your one-stop office for film and TV incentives, permitting, location assistance, and filming resources throughout California". It is my understanding that the CFC oversees the applications for the tax incentive fund established by California two years ago. Those tax incentives have been credited for slowing down the outward migration of film production. So apparently they are spreading the money around where it has done some good.

The CFC Board Meetings are open to the public, and when Jim Horwitz asked me if I wanted to attend, to see what the commission is doing and to learn more about the challenges we face in keeping production at home, I was on it. Who's going to mind the shop while I'm gone is something I'll figure out later. This sounded like something of value, particularly when I heard that an agenda item was the "public education campaign" and that a report would be given on "marketing/outreach activity". This sounds like something we might be able to help with. You think?

The meeting is in the AFTRA Conference Room on July 30th. I'll report back on what I learn.

Sharon

Inception Wins by a Landslide

I guess it's no surprise that Inception won the movie audience lottery this week. I thought the race was between Sorcerer and Inception, but it didn't turn out that way: Despicable Me came in second.So much depends on how a movie is marketed, and how it is reviewed. All of the critics don't get to weigh in at that same time; some are able to see the movie earlier than others. So you tend to get sort of choppy results that tend to confuse prospective audiences. Maybe, if you rely on how the critics view a movie before you put down your hard earned dollar, it is better if you find a critic on your wave length and simply rely on that single voice.

So our partially filmed in California candidate beat out the rest. That's good.

I have a Kindle that I really appreciate. It's a bit of technology that I've grown to depend on and when it froze up last week, I was stressed. Amazon, who markets the Kindle, had a new reader in my hands the next day. I was impressed. That meant I was able to download a new book by a University of Toronto Professor, Richard Florida, titled "The Great Reset: How New Ways of Living and Working Drive Post Crash Prosperity". According to Professor Florida's research, California has the highest Creativity Index in America, which uniquely positions it to recover from this last economic downturn. The factors that result in California scoring so well on the Creativity Index which will help us power through the mess we are in: technology, talent and tolerance. He believes that our technology and entertainment industries and green lifestyles will be driving forces in our recovery.

I'll share the contents of his book over the next few weeks. What I know to be true is that we must not be afraid. The times they are a changing. How exciting is that?

Sharon

Saturday is Potluck Day

Potluck means you don't know what you're going to get, therefore, Potluck Saturday's blog could be about anything. In fact, I am willing to entertain subject suggestions or even host a guest blogger.

You may have figured out I have a clothing boutique in Woodland Hills; I'm a fanatical advocate on women's health issues, especially breast cancer, and a big supporter of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; I'm interested in politics and the economy; and I have a huge curiosity about quantum physics. So don't be surprised if those subjects are tossed into the pot on Saturday sooner or later.

What you'll hear about often is info about breast cancer, early detection and Susan G. Komen. I'm a twenty-three year survivor of breast and cervical cancer. I billed myself as "The Happiest Woman in the World" in a video I made on You Tube. Because that's just what and who I am; I have had an opportunity to live a long life because my cancers were detected early. And the gift of that important knowledge is what I have spend my life since trying to share.

Today, on Potluck Saturday, a dear, long time customer, came into my shop and told me her 42 year old sister has been diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer that has already metasticized. A lump was first noticed while she was pregnant just a few months ago; but the doctor brushed the symptom off with a cavalier, 'it's just a swelling in your milk duct'. Not true. Now she is caring for a two month old infant while undergoing chemotherapy for an agressive form of breast cancer.

I had a hand casted silver figure of a woman on a leather cord in the store that had been made a few years ago by an artist in Topanga. I gave it to my customer to give to her sister to wear as a reminder of all the women still living and thriving today. Even with metastatic cancers. Is that how anyone would choose to live their remaining years? If I had a tiny baby, I would.

This story has saddened me today, so I'm going to put the lid on the pot, because the taste is bitter.

Sharon