You may recall that I wrote a 15-minute screenplay, "The Europa Society," a few weeks after Benny was born. Ron would watch Benny for two hours after work while I napped, then I'd write until midnight. This happened a few times a week for a month.
We filmed the thing in June, using actors from the Performance Network theater in Ann Arbor. It was screened at the Michigan Theater on Feb. 8 along with other short films.
See www.apprenticefilms.com
THE EUROPA SOCIETY
In a small town in northern Michigan, there is a small group of people who meet every month to talk about populating a small moon orbiting Jupiter, Europa.
Lead by a really, really important former Apollo mission technician, The Europa Society is not one of those crackpot, crazy clubs of people just deluding themselves into believing they can do something that is impossible. Although that does describe their crosstown rivals, The Callisto Club.
With the beautiful orange glow from Jupiter and its vast ocean beneath the thick layer of ice, Europa is one of the few places in our solar system with all the resources to sustain life. And with a target mission date of 2050, there is a lot of time to prepare. I mean, you can't just up and go 400 million miles without preparation. Now that would be crazy.
Running Time: 14 minutes 40 seconds.
The audience responded well to the movie. Some of the biggest laughs came from things that weren't script related, like Sean in a boy scout uniform setting up his ledger, strongbox and colored pencils to a military drum tap. Alicia twirling two flashlights at the logo inspired another big laugh. There was a statue of ET and a space helmet on a table and people laughed at that too. This was definitely the Movie of Funny Props.
People thought the logo was hilarious. They laughed every time it came on the screen. Rad's line: "Nobody will get that. It looks like a poster for good nutrition" was very successful. The name of Edward's latest chapter "Snowflakes of Desire" was a hit.
"The Europa Society" also won third place in the Short Subject category at the Central Michigan Film Festival. So the movie gets another screening in Mount Pleasant in April.
Yay! I'm thinking of taking a screenwriting class if I'm going to continue this. I faked this script, but I'd like to write a full-length Europa Society movie and I'd prefer to know what I'm doing.
##
Friday, February 11, 2005
Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Playgroup Drama: Galadriel Gets Huffy
I love Benny’s playgroup, but sometimes the mothers get a little obsessive. A rebel faction proposed meeting on Tuesdays instead of Wednesdays. Now emails fly thick and fast, filled with scheduling parries and thrusts.
Here is a gallant attempt by “Brunhilda” to restore order. This is an actual email. (Names are changed to protect the innocent. The innocent is me. I’ve got enough problems.)
brunhilda@freakymother.com wrote:
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:34:30 -0500
From: brunhilda@freakymother.com
To: Christine K. and half of Ann Arbor
Subject: play date schedule revisions?
Hello!
I want to update the play date schedule with all the changes I am hearing!
Please help me clarify what we want to do in March by voting for/ranking ALTERNATE, ADD, or SWITCH (read below)!
M. would like to host tomorrow 1/12. I didn't catch the time, but her address is already on the schedule for 2/2. I also have Christine K. down for a 2/16 playdate.
(That was true, God help me. I cleaned the house for three days -- CK.)
If this is correct Christine, please send me your address and a time for that date. Thanks!
Then starting in March, it sounds like Tuesdays may work as well as Wednesdays. Do we want to ALTERNATE Tuesday one week, Wednesday the next week? Do we want to ADD a Tuesday in-home play date on weeks when we will meet at the mall on Wednesday? Do we want to SWITCH from a Wednesday schedule to a Tuesday schedule?
Let me know what you prefer by emailing me directly with your vote for ALTERNATE, ADD, or SWITCH!
Or, better yet, you could send me those three options listed in order of decreasing preference!
I'll let you know how this turns out!
Hope to see you all tomorrow! Have a great week!
Brunhilda and Thor Jr.
__________________________________________________
We were all trying to wrap our brains around that one, when “Galadriel” decided to stir the pot. This again, is an actual email.
Date: Tuesday, 03 Feb. 2005 09:00
From: galadriel@busymother.com
To: Crazy playgroup
Subject: RE: play date schedule revisions?
I hadn't seen the baby massage picture before. How adorable!
Elrond, myself and Little Legolas are going to try to make it for a little while on Saturday. We are traveling to Kalamazoo that day (I've planned a surprise party for Elrond that night!). I'm beginning to think I've overscheduled us, but I really want to make the birthday party!
Also, I wanted to re-visit the day change for playgroup. It sounds like almost everyone could do Wednesdays or Tuesdays. Arwen and I discussed the fact that we both can't do Tuesdays and we're really bummed to miss out.
Could we try alternating Wednesdays and Tuesdays? What do you all think? That way Eowyn can still come on Tuesdays and Arwen and I can still come on Wednesdays.
To complicate things further I'd like to request which Wednesdays of the month we use if we decide to do it that way ... so I can still make my neighborhood playgroup on alternate dates.
Whew...that's a lot to ask, but Little Legolas has such a blast I don't want to lose out!
Also, we need another mom's night out soon. Any suggestions?
Gally
[MY SECRET SUGGESTION WAS TO JUST PICK ONE DAMN PLAYGROUP. ANYWAY, THE CONTROVERSY JUST WOULDN'T DIE AND BRUNHILDA, THE ORIGINAL PLANNER, STARTED GETTING HUFFY. SEE BELOW.]
From: brunhilda@freakymother.com
Everyone,
I will be glad to schedule whatever the group wants. Just so you all know... it was a purely democratic decision to move the play dates to Tuesdays. When I asked for your opinions/votes a month ago only 8 people responded ...
[EVERYONE ELSE WAS PROBABLY TOTALLY CONFUSED]
... and switching to Tuesdays was the most popular response. The second most popular response was to add Tuesday play dates so there would be a Tuesday and a Wednesday meeting every week. There were no votes for alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
[DO YOU THINK SHE COULD PUT ALL THIS IN A PIE CHART?]
I got a few comments that people would find it difficult to schedule other stuff around alternating play days.
Should we reconsider the options and re-vote?
Brunhilda
_____________
SO ... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE GROUP IS DOING NOW.
They’ve got some complicated schedule going where we meet on the first Tuesday of every month, unless the date is an odd number, and on the second and fourth Wednesdays, unless the moon enters Gemini, and the third week depends on the height of the Huron River. (It’s been low lately; there’s been concern.)
Anyway, I just depend on the weekly emails now and do my best to keep up.
##
Here is a gallant attempt by “Brunhilda” to restore order. This is an actual email. (Names are changed to protect the innocent. The innocent is me. I’ve got enough problems.)
brunhilda@freakymother.com wrote:
Date: Mon, 10 Jan 2005 11:34:30 -0500
From: brunhilda@freakymother.com
To: Christine K. and half of Ann Arbor
Subject: play date schedule revisions?
Hello!
I want to update the play date schedule with all the changes I am hearing!
Please help me clarify what we want to do in March by voting for/ranking ALTERNATE, ADD, or SWITCH (read below)!
M. would like to host tomorrow 1/12. I didn't catch the time, but her address is already on the schedule for 2/2. I also have Christine K. down for a 2/16 playdate.
(That was true, God help me. I cleaned the house for three days -- CK.)
If this is correct Christine, please send me your address and a time for that date. Thanks!
Then starting in March, it sounds like Tuesdays may work as well as Wednesdays. Do we want to ALTERNATE Tuesday one week, Wednesday the next week? Do we want to ADD a Tuesday in-home play date on weeks when we will meet at the mall on Wednesday? Do we want to SWITCH from a Wednesday schedule to a Tuesday schedule?
Let me know what you prefer by emailing me directly with your vote for ALTERNATE, ADD, or SWITCH!
Or, better yet, you could send me those three options listed in order of decreasing preference!
I'll let you know how this turns out!
Hope to see you all tomorrow! Have a great week!
Brunhilda and Thor Jr.
__________________________________________________
We were all trying to wrap our brains around that one, when “Galadriel” decided to stir the pot. This again, is an actual email.
Date: Tuesday, 03 Feb. 2005 09:00
From: galadriel@busymother.com
To: Crazy playgroup
Subject: RE: play date schedule revisions?
I hadn't seen the baby massage picture before. How adorable!
Elrond, myself and Little Legolas are going to try to make it for a little while on Saturday. We are traveling to Kalamazoo that day (I've planned a surprise party for Elrond that night!). I'm beginning to think I've overscheduled us, but I really want to make the birthday party!
Also, I wanted to re-visit the day change for playgroup. It sounds like almost everyone could do Wednesdays or Tuesdays. Arwen and I discussed the fact that we both can't do Tuesdays and we're really bummed to miss out.
Could we try alternating Wednesdays and Tuesdays? What do you all think? That way Eowyn can still come on Tuesdays and Arwen and I can still come on Wednesdays.
To complicate things further I'd like to request which Wednesdays of the month we use if we decide to do it that way ... so I can still make my neighborhood playgroup on alternate dates.
Whew...that's a lot to ask, but Little Legolas has such a blast I don't want to lose out!
Also, we need another mom's night out soon. Any suggestions?
Gally
[MY SECRET SUGGESTION WAS TO JUST PICK ONE DAMN PLAYGROUP. ANYWAY, THE CONTROVERSY JUST WOULDN'T DIE AND BRUNHILDA, THE ORIGINAL PLANNER, STARTED GETTING HUFFY. SEE BELOW.]
From: brunhilda@freakymother.com
Everyone,
I will be glad to schedule whatever the group wants. Just so you all know... it was a purely democratic decision to move the play dates to Tuesdays. When I asked for your opinions/votes a month ago only 8 people responded ...
[EVERYONE ELSE WAS PROBABLY TOTALLY CONFUSED]
... and switching to Tuesdays was the most popular response. The second most popular response was to add Tuesday play dates so there would be a Tuesday and a Wednesday meeting every week. There were no votes for alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
[DO YOU THINK SHE COULD PUT ALL THIS IN A PIE CHART?]
I got a few comments that people would find it difficult to schedule other stuff around alternating play days.
Should we reconsider the options and re-vote?
Brunhilda
_____________
SO ... I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE GROUP IS DOING NOW.
They’ve got some complicated schedule going where we meet on the first Tuesday of every month, unless the date is an odd number, and on the second and fourth Wednesdays, unless the moon enters Gemini, and the third week depends on the height of the Huron River. (It’s been low lately; there’s been concern.)
Anyway, I just depend on the weekly emails now and do my best to keep up.
##
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