Dog show and “Avatar”… a somewhat disjointed post.

So, there’s exactly one week until the voice-over begins for this dog show. We’re on a very tight schedule, much tighter than we’ve been accustomed to (not counting the same show last year, which was similarly tight).

After doing 21 of these things, I had a pretty good rhythm down. This show, for some reason, is completely different. I’ve been working like mad, and filling in scripts where I can, and leaving them blank where I must (for the time being), and the result is that I feel like an accountant in a tornado.

No, seriously, I don’t really know which way is up right now. It actually makes it kind of interesting, which is a good thing, because to lose interest when there are 195 dogs to write about (in a typical show, we have about 120) would be very bad, indeed. This is the last dog show for me in the foreseeable future. I don’t know if the show will be back next year. I guess we’ll file that under “wait and see”.

The other night, the husb and I went and saw “Avatar” in the 3-D theatre. For a pair of film school grads, you’d think we’d see more movies than we do, which is to say, almost none. We’ve sort of made a commitment to try to hit at least the big awards nominees. We saw “Up” and “Role Models” the other night. Both were cute, though “Role Models” was quite raunchy and I hereby do not recommend it to anyone under 17. Over anyone over 17 who’s sensitive about stuff like that. See “Up” instead… very similar themes, actually.

So “Avatar” was pretty good, although the 3-D gave me a headache and waves of a vague nausea/general overall unhappiness. I kept taking off my glasses when I could and just watching the slightly blurry image. I wish I’d seen it in 2-D, because I was so distracted by trying to keep myself from feeling badly that I didn’t experience it as a whole movie.

One thing I’m going to say is, I know a lot of conservatives are up in arms about the way Hollywood portrays corporations. But it’s so weird to me, because (and I am not the least conservative person I know, we’ll put it that way) no matter where you fall on the political spectrum, a corrupt corporation is indeed a force of evil. They are the bad guy, whether you’re a donkey or an elephant. This should be something we can all agree on. Because bad corporations weren’t just good companies who grew up. They were good companies who started schmoozing and bribing and paying people off and paying fines instead of fixing problems, and mistreating their workforces, and so on and so forth. The evil corporation in “Avatar” has no regard for life. Why should we be upset about their portrayal as the bad guys?

Anyhoo. Just my two cents.

Hope you’re all well!

k.

6 comments January 7th, 2010

It’s that time again… dog show!

Well, every year, I head out of town for the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship dog show, on which I am a producer. It’s held at the Long Beach Convention Center, and if you are in the area, I highly recommend going. There are exciting dog-related events during the day and exciting blue-carpet dog show at night (with a few hours’ gap in between; be prepared).

This year, I am also going into this exercising my optimism. Every year, when I go to this show, something seems to go awry elsewhere in the universe as it relates to my life. Three years ago, Winston actually ran away from the husb’s office and through a crowded parking lot by a freeway (I only found this out when somebody accidentally mentioned it in front of me weeks later). Two years ago, I came home from the show to find Winston at the vet, where he would stay for another four days, with gastric distress and maybe (we thought) headed for surgery (he was fine).

And last year, I got to the convention center, set up my computer to get ready for my meeting, and found out that one of my family members had been in a very serious car accident.

So this year, we are going with the idea that everything will be fine. This is aided somewhat by the fact that Winston is booked overnight at his daycare for the weekend.

What goes on at the dog show? For me, it’s mostly about gathering information and making sure the talent scripts are where they need to be before everybody goes on camera. There’s not as much pressure, because this show isn’t live anymore… back when we did it live, my heart literally pounded in my chest for about 48 straight hours as we tried to gather all the information we needed before going on the air. And being on the air live! It’s like flying. It’s crazy.

If you do go to the night-time part of it, look for me–I’ll be the lady next to the host table ringside. That makes me sound important, but it’s really not like that. It’s just the most convenient place for me to sit and have access to the hosts, since we talk about the various dogs during the show and record that so I can refer to it later and hear all of their fascinating insights. I have a feeling that there are a lot of people in the arena who actually assume I am the grand poobah of the whole thing, because I have a headset, a TV screen, and a table all by myself. But the real grand poobah (ha, I typed “poobag”, totally different) is in his TV truck, and I am actually just a mid-level poobah.

But it’s a great time, and I highly recommend either coming to the show, watching in when it airs on Animal Planet (February 6, the night before the Super Bowl), or BOTH!

If you do end up going, tweet me @katiealender !

Otherwise, have a great weekend!

1 comment December 10th, 2009

Two words: supervolcano

Ha! I know that’s just one word, but at work I’m dealing with questionnaires that say, “Describe this dog in one word,” and the amount of people who don’t know the definition of the number one is staggering.

“Always ready to show!”
“Fun/loving/energetic”
“He is amazing”

Next time, I’ll say, “Describe this dog in one (1) word.” Perhaps that’ll clear things up.

Although the responses are all delightful to me. I like it when people at dog shows take the time to write down cute stuff about their dogs. It’s all about the dogs, after all.

Oh, no, wait–today it’s all about the supervolcano.

Evidence can be found here.

Please resume with your day, which you may feel is oddly invaded by my multiple blog entries. See, this is what happens when you take away my computer.

May 1st, 2008

My dog is a grouch and so am I.

Winston and I are in a funk.

You know how you’ll be at the store and see something you desperately want, and then you’re like, “Oh, but that costs $75 and I don’t want to spend that kind of money! I’m saving up for [a rainy day/groceries/gallbladder surgery/a trip to Hawaii].”

And you’re all good and feeling great about the money you didn’t spend, and then you go home and the plumbing in your kitchen explodes and it costs like $500 to fix it? And you’re like, “Dang, I could have afforded that thing at the store after all… of course, I really can’t buy it NOW.”

That’s how I feel on the time management front. I never knew how much free time I had until NOW. I never thought, during all the time I spent sewing skirts and tiny quilts for dogs and even a very low-cut yellow and orange cocktail gown, that at some point that ceaseless supply would dry up, but here we are with a dog show to produce, a manuscript to revise, hundreds of loads of laundry to finish, and thousands upon thousands of special edition holiday calories to consume.

And I have no time to sew. Or to read, really. I get to listen to podcasts in my car, but that’s pretty much it. At work, I’m — how unfair is this?? — working all day. On the weekends and every morning at 6 am and every evening after I get home, I’m finishing up revisions.

And when I’m not doing all that, I’m obviously whining about it.

Phooey. Winston and I need a week on the beach in Hawaii. With a sewing machine.

4 comments December 12th, 2007

Tired now!

Okay, I’m so behind on blogs it’s not funny. But I’m going to start catching up soon.

Thanks for all the comments on the last post. (I’m putting the replies at the end of this post.)

The show was super fun, although it’s a lot of work. It’s broken up over two nights, so we taped Saturday, went to bed, and then had to get up Sunday and start over again. I woke up Sunday feeling like someone had beaten me up. It was a feeling I only recognized from the same thing last year (only last year I’m sure it was much worse).

I won’t say what breed won the show, although for the curious, that information is readily available all over the internet.

By Monday morning, after a wrap party (which is funny because we still have to actually edit the show) that went until 5:30 am, I was ready to go home. I was missing the husb and Winston very much. Winston isn’t feeling terribly well.

In book news, Delightful Editor called yesterday (and had to deal with incoherent sleepy me) and said she likes the revision, and we have minimal changes before we get to copyedits. Yay! Now I’m really going to have to focus on the next project. That’s going to be a little rough going at first, because I have 12,000 words of it written and I know I don’t like the beginning. So I’ll have to decide if I’m going to revise now or just keep going.

I hope you can forgive a few more days of erratic posting and blog visiting. I’m still a strange combination of frazzled and exhausted. I had a dream last night that someone gave me a foot massage! (Also that a delicious pastry shop opened up across the street from my house.)

Hope you’re all having a great week!

(comment replies…)

Christy, this is the show that was live last year. This year it wasn’t (as evidenced by the lack of nervous breakdown on my part). It’s going to air February 2, the night before the Super Bowl.

Eileen, as it turns out, I didn’t finish the pants. Thank goodness I stocked up on long shirts, because the super-low-rise pants a co-worker gave me worked out fine. And my thrifted black faux-velvet Old Navy blazer worked great for Sunday, when things get a little fancypants.

Mary, there were dogs in my hotel. The owners seemed very careful. One thing I’ve learned about dog show people is that they’re resourceful. They know how to find places, show up on time, carry all their own stuff, and clean up after themselves. A scrappy bunch of people.

Maggie, it’s never too late to learn! I just started sewing last May. It’s actually fairly easy once you get into it. Of course there are fabrics and patterns that are more challenging, but in general it’s quite simple!

Lisa, thank you! It was. Especially when I got to sneak away from the office and go pet some dogs at the Meet the Breeds exhibition.

Robin, it was a lot of work. It made me realize that I’m kind of happy I don’t travel to all of our shows. Kicking back at the office with Winston is a lot more relaxing than running around at a busy dog show. But once a year, it’s not so bad. There’s definitely an adrenaline rush.

3 comments December 4th, 2007

Where I am this week.

At the big show. If you’re in Los Angeles, you should come out and see the dogs. I’ll be there all weekend. (The husb and the guard dog will be home, though, so I wouldn’t try anything unless you want Winston’s gigantic teethmarks all over your lower legs. To say nothing of the husb’s teethmarks!)

Anyway, I have two hours to get ready, pack, finish the pants I’m making (whoops, can’t fit last year’s suit), and hit the road.

Happy dog show to you all!

6 comments November 29th, 2007

Winston is a real man now.

Note: Winston is completely unharmed.

Winston got in a FIGHT yesterday! A co-worker brought her Miniature Schnauzer, Peanut, to the office, and they ended up brawling over the idea of Charlee Bear treats, which are apparently made with doggie crack. When I say “the idea” of these things, I mean they got into it about three feet away from the counter on which the treats were sitting. No humans were making any gestures that even hinted at actually giving these treats.

I must say, I was shocked. Up until now, I’ve always said, “Winston is a lover, not a fighter.” Mostly to explain his tendency to pursue romantic relations with anything made of fabric that comes within two feet of him.

But now what am I supposed to say?

So Peanut awoooo-woooed and snarled at him, and instead of rolling over and showing his belly, Winston decided that Some Things Are Worth Fighting For. So he kind of snarled back, and then both of them backed off for a millisecond like, “Are we going to do this for real? YES!” and then they were back at each other, snarling and slapping and pulling each other’s hair and squealing, “John Tucker is MINE!”

They were separated without having the chance to injure one another, which is good for Peanut because she would have been laughed out of the vet’s office for fighting with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, a breed which, on the scale of dog-to-wolf, ranks somewhere behind “Beanie Baby”. I made Winston lie down on his side for a minute, and then I forgave him and had to hug and smooch on him for a while. The co-worker took Peanut back to her cubicle and demonstrated the following hilarious trick:

CO-WORKER: Baaaad girl, Peanut!
[Peanut's ginormous rabbit ears droop... pause... spring back up!]
CO-WORKER: That was very naughty, Peanut!
[Peanut's ginormous rabbit ears droop... pause... spring back up!]
And so on.

Here we are — I look prouder than I ought to, don’t I? (And strangely tan.)

In secondary news, we had an earthquake last night. It was enough to wake both the husb and myself, but not Winston.

Minor earthquakes are scary on many levels. The actual shaking happens rather quickly and then ends. We didn’t have anything fall off of anything. (Although if anyone asks, the sewing room was immaculate until that durn quake hit! All my hard work organizing and keeping the place pristine, and one little quake just turns the whole place into a regular pigsty!)

The really scary part is that you suddenly realize all the common-sense preparations you blithely ignore on a regular basis. Such as finding a way to keep the glassware from dumping out of the kitchen cabinets. Getting the earthquake supplies out of the garage, into which you cannot currently go if the power is off in the house.

That kind of thing is what keeps you staring at the ceiling after the quake.

Then again, it could have been worse: Tornado Hits Brooklyn. Geez.

In writing news, the Delightful Editor’s notes opened up a couple of really interesting doors in ye olde brain. I think I’ve found a way to make the story tighter. So hurray! This weekend, I’ll be collecting all of those thoughts on paper. And next week… time to dig in!

7 comments August 9th, 2007

A bit of this and a bit of that and a song about birds.

You know you were cut out for a life of luxury when nature creates you with a built-in sleep mask.

Last night I dreamed that I got to see the cover of my book. It looked like a Dr. Phil book — a red background with a photo on the front, and the title at the bottom in a very conservative gold/brown print. I immediately freaked out and started suggesting changes. In my dream, I even explained the Photoshop techniques for achieving the end I had in mind. It was probably a pretty cool cover.

My title is probably changing, but more on that later.

I am off and writing on the next book. This one is different; I was trying to decide third person or first, and I settled on first person present tense. It fits the character and her situation, I think. I feel like I’m writing without a net, but I think that’s how I always feel. I am also going to do a little more mapping out of this book than I usually do, but that will come in the near future. I need to get inside the character’s head for a while first.

Dog show is in progress once more. It’s funny, because there are other shows at my company, and some producer from another show said something jokey about the dog shows. This person was immediately shut down (as the tale was told to me, at least). The thing is, doing something 20+ times does not make it easier — not if you want every show to be better than the last. It makes it more challenging. You are always setting out to conquer your previous effort.

Thanks for all the bird sympathy. A friend at work, on hearing about the birds, said, “Oh, I have a great quote for you.” I thought it might be something like Spring is a time when life renews, and new life faces adversity and triumphs etc. etc. etc. No, her quote was something like Spring is cruel to the weak and unfit or something. It made me laugh.

I think the Indigo Girls actually said it better.

Fly Away

Fly away little bird
Any place in this open mouthed world
Begs to be fed like a bed that beckons you, but you won’t rest
Everyone’s got a need to go
Most of us stick with our row to hoe
But not you, you’re the black crow
With a straight line, and no time
For the birds of prey who wreck your nest
Twice your size steal your best
They set you on this course of your collision

I am a stop along your way
I am the words you’ll never say
I crossed the great beyond of fear
I opened my eyes and saw us there, what a view
You went there too

Fly away little bird
Find the song in you that no one’s heard
Strenghthen your wings as you sing your solo flight
Through this short life
Everyone’s got a deep regret
We try to ground ourselves to forget
But your race to the end is neck and neck
You love them, you love them not
The birds of prey who wreck your nest,
Twice your size steal your best
They set you on this course of your collision

I am a stop along your way
I am the words you’ll never say
I crossed the great beyond of fear
Opened my eyes and saw us there, what a view
And you went there too

But all along your chosen path are
Window panes and sheets of glass
That you won’t see
You fly too fast
One day it will be over

Fly away little bird
The saddest song I ever heard
Was the one I wrote you in my heart
That never made it to the world.

April 19th, 2007

The lullaby of Broadway…

So, yes, I think I failed to mention before now that I’m in New York this week.

Nice city. I thought I would hate it. I’m not usually a fan of crowds or crowded places or any kind of chaos or loudness. But for some reason, it doesn’t bug me. It just seems to fit.

(I think part of me is still convinced we’re just on a studio backlot.)

We looked into staying at the famous Algonquin, but at the last minute decided on another little boutique hotel. Very cute, niiiice employees, comfy beds, free internet. We weekended with my brother and his wife, got some whirlwind tours of the city, which is nice because now we don’t feel like we need to do it ourselves.

Yesterday we arrrived in Midtown Manhattan and explored. We saw the view from Rockefeller Center, bought Winston a vibrating dog toy that is sure to be his nemesis (how strange the life of a dog — “We missed you, Winston! Here’s something you will instinctively hate so much that you’re going to spend three weeks trying to kill it! Aren’t you glad to see us?”)…

Today, lunch with Agent M and the Lovely Editor. Tomorrow, Mary Poppins on Broadway. In between, I’m getting another Swatch. And that’s about all we have planned. I did want to try to get some writing done at some point. So we’ll see if that happens.

On the dog show front: my company produces an American version of the renowned British show “Crufts”. Last year I totally called the winner — (“You should call Larry Fenner. He’s taking his Australian Shepherd”) — this year, I did not TECHNICALLY call the winner (Ch. Araki Fabulous Willy), but I kind of did, in that I have been pasting his ads all over the walls (yes, top show dogs have ads), because they say, “EVERYONE LOVES A FABULOUS WILLY.”

Turns out everyone does! Anyway, because of this, I consider myself 2 for 2.

Sorry to be irrelevant and absent. Today is an exciting day. Lunch should be fun.

(Excuse my spelling errors, I am using ye olde Powerbook, and the key pressure is quite different.)

March 13th, 2007

Winston and Katie, TV stars

Next Saturday, March 3, at 8 pm, the show I just finished is airing on Animal Planet. If you make it all the way to the Hound group (the last one in the show) and watch the Eukanuba Pet Tip, you’ll see Winston and me. I’m not the person talking — that’s Katy Nelson, the Eukanuba vet. I’m the one who somehow got roped into sitting at a computer and pretending to do research, and then I follow my dog around and pet him like a pyscho (why am I petting him while he’s eating?!?)…

The German Shepherd Dog who costars is also named Katie. So there were three Katies on set that day.

Anyway, I know I look like a nutjob, let me be clear about that.

February 23rd, 2007