What a 24 Hours!

OK, I'm going to get this out of the way. Maybe not the best attitude to express, but it is honest.

I was up until around 6am working on my Scriptwriting Portfolio. It was quite and peaceful. The thoughts just started flowing, and they were backed by a desire to do the grunt work. I'd already printed up my blog excerpts (34 pages) and moved on to examples of my workshopping notes, an adaptation script I wrote at the beginning of the semester, the Digital Sound Narration Script, two revisions of the script that I had workshopped, and my letter to the instructor. I had four introductory pages to write and a Table of Contents, too. I started most of this after I got done doing a bit of shopping at the local Target at 10:45pm. I had to get the proper presentation materials for my Scriptwriting Portfolio, some milk, a bottle brush and a few other groceries to tide us over.

Like I said, I'd already printed up my blog excerpts, and it was while I was finalizing the Narration Script (filling in the exact clips in running order) that I realized that there is a glaring mistake in my group's Digital Sound Final Project. It's such a STUPID, STUPID, STUPID, STUPID ... OK, I have to stop - breathe - It's such a stupid mistake that I was COMPLETELY DEVASTATED. I mean completely and totally devastated. Almost in tears and hating myself and life in general. It was a group mistake in that one of my group was sitting right next to me when we made the mistake, and the other wasn't there because he had to go to work. How can I hold him responsible? Well, I guess I really can't. Nope. OK, so it was a two person mistake, but really it was my mistake. I was the one doing the final editing and checking it with my partner. I was the one sitting in front of the keyboard and screen. DAMN IT! I hate it when I Fuck Up! I'm beginning to wonder if I'm even employable any more. Man, my self-confidence takes a nose dive fast. I mean in the grave with cement on top. I'm so tired of pulling myself up from that.

I sent emails to my group and our instructor about the error. I called all of them, too. I made a plan to head up to school today or early tomorrow morning.

(NOTE: I've just remembered that I have to take the car in to get the tire fixed tomorrow morning. Shit. I could go up to school and be done with it now, or I could ask BB if I can use his car tomorrow and he could take mine to Marty in the morning. I'm sure he'll be thrilled with that idea - NOT... but he'd do it. Whatever. It will work out.)

ONWARDS!

I had to go do a favor for a friend at 6pm last night after I'd discovered this traumatizing error which meant that I did my best to slap a smile on my face and go do what I needed to do. I sort of succeeded. Not really though. I'm constantly told to lighten up on myself, and I'm trying.

I was also so nicely "fired" last night from my Project Manager internship. It's a combination of factors, and one of them is my lack of some basic computer skills like merging data into a Power Point Presentation. Guess what I need to take next semester. Oh joy.

So, dragging my battered and bruised ego to Target, I shopped for what I needed and got out of the store. When I came home, BB had gotten me a slice of spinach garlic pizza and a Cherry Coke. I swear that guy is thoughtful. He really tries.

It was after eating and drinking two glasses of Cherry Coke that I really started to kick into gear. BB went to bed, and I stayed up listening to the storm come in, typing and printing.

A part of our Portfolio is to create a Table of Contents. Given my lack of skills in placing page numbers that follow chronologically on all documents, I started thinking about how to present my material in an easily understandable way. That was when I got out the construction paper.

I played around for a good while figuring out how I could use the construction paper to color-code the six different types of documents that I was submitting. I am very pleased with the end result.

I purchased a folder with a three-hole binder middle part and pockets on either side. I place my 35 pages of blog info in the right pocket, my Table of Contents, Introductory page for my script revisions and the two script revisions in the three-hole binder part, and finally put the other four packets in the left pocket. I also taped the CD envelope above the left pocket.

What makes the organization is the construction paper, though. I used five different colors for the different groups (My blog pages didn't need any construction paper). The script revisions, etc. in the middle got Spring Green pages to separate them. The other four groups got bound like a legal document. You know, color backing (usually light blue with legal paperwork) that folds over the top. I had so much fun creating these packets. I folded and stapled and folded and stapled; and then, I taped the top partly for added strength and partly for safety. I don't want my instructor to get hurt by a staple. I think they all look very cool.

My Table of Contents was a snap as a result of my presentation idea. It simply refers to each section in the folder by the color-coding; listing the title and contents of each packet and the total number of pages. Whew. I hate Table of Contents. Don't' know why, but I do.

So now I have a Scriptwriting Portfolio that I like and am proud of. It's also 92 pages and not the required 45 pages. There's no penalty for being over the allotted 45 pages. Besides, 53 pages of the Portfolio are work directly from class. Guess I'll attached a Post-It telling my instructor that so she can just peruse the other stuff if she wants.

OK, so those are my amazing feats for the last twenty-four hours. I've partially overcome a self-confidence nose dive, done a heck of a lot of work for my portfolio, met my personal deadline to have it done two days early, made a plan to correct our group's final project even if it isn't taken into consideration for our grade (personal pride and all that), and even gotten a bit of rest. All in all, I'm happy with my progress. Now I just need to see if I can get to work on some knitting and crocheting. That would be la pièce de résistance.

... oh, and I've posted yet another post on this thing. How bored are you now? :D

Keep it up, People. I've got to believe that somehow, some way, that most of us are going to pull through this. I say most because like Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "I may not get there with you, but I have seen the mountain top." Guess we'll all just have to keep on living and see what happens.