As I write this I am eating the most glorious instant oatmeal I’ve ever encountered:  Chai Apple.  CHAI.  In my OATMEAL.  Victory!  There is also a banana.  And coffee is involved.  Good morning.

***

The other night, the Avistrum crew, including myself, were on set working on a new film.  Burned out from all of the filming we did last year, we stood outdoors in dismay at the thought of having to yet again hold up the greenscreen so that buildings could be put in in post.  Again.  WAIT, I thought with glee, as I remembered a new piece of technology that I had at my disposal, I CAN FIX THIS!  I left the crew standing there looking at me baffledly, and took off on a quest for the certain kinds of architecture that we needed.  The buildings I selected were an odd mix: some ancient, some brick and stone, some rather steel-and-glass modern.  I pulled out my PHONE and started scanning the buildings with it.  Once I confirmed that they were snugly saved in my phone’s photo gallery, I went back to the set, and began to physically upload the building images.  The end result of this was a set, complete with a full backdrop of buildings.  They were something akin to holograms, but temporarily solid.  Everyone jumped with glee and we got to work.

I really want that technology.

***

This past weekend was a perfect blend of productivity and relaxation.  Did some movie-watching and some lounging.  But I also got some things done around the homestead and also got to meet with the Avistrum folk.  Saturday, J and I wandered two blocks over from our apartment to take photos that will be used in some storytelling, in order to reboot one of our important characters.  I was delighted to discover that the actress who will be rebooting this character happens to live in one of the buildings in my ‘hood that I’ve always been somewhat fascinated by.  It just…LOOMS at you, when you’re standing in front of it, looking up.  My friend B, who met us outside, mentioned that from the other entrance, over on Sherman, the place bears a remarkable resemblance to Arkham Asylum.  I can imagine, from just viewing it from the side we were on.  I’ll have to wander past from the other side and take some shots soon.

All of that caused me to realize that I very seldomly, if ever, walk up Sherman.  It’s right there, a convenient street to cut across if I’m heading in that particular direction…but I never do.  I don’t think I’ve ever had a conscious reason for that, necessarily, but I think there might be an unconscious one.  When I first moved to Denver, straight out of college, I wanted desperately to someday live among the string of apartment complexes called Poet’s Row.  Poet’s Row, on Sherman, has a number of buildings, all named after a different writer.  Since I had just graduated with a literary English degree, it seemed right up my alley.  I never did move into Poet’s Row.  However, a dear friend of mine lived there for a time, in the Emily Dickenson building.  He had very extreme diabetes, and one day we got The Call that he had passed away in the stairwell, carrying groceries up to his apartment.  So maybe I don’t take Sherman because it has sad memories that I am bound to run into when I pass by Poet’s Row?  Who can say, really.  I think I’ll walk that way on purpose, next time I’m going that way.

I digress.  At any rate, the building where we did our shoot was fantastically old, and apparently has some morbid history along with many a tale of ghostly encounters.  Perfect.  I didn’t take many shots of the interior of the building itself, as I had just met our actress and didn’t want to ook her out by taking photos of her apartment building.  However, as we made one of our many trips down to the (VERY SPOOKY) basement in the very small and very creepy elevator, I grabbed a couple of images of the elevator window.  Instead of having just a normal slide-open elevator door, it also had a normal door that one would just open in order to gain access to it.  I was kind of fascinated.

Exterior Door is Closed, prior to movement.

Going Down!  Passing by a floor.

***

So, I took photos, and worked on some logo design, and did some cleaning, and then loafed.  I did not get to make my voodoo jar this weekend, but I will have to do so soon.  The focus of it is going to be Moving/Job Hunt related.  We will finally be able to get our taxes done this week.  Which means next week, Seeking Work in New Orleans shall commence.  First, though, I have to survive a week that is already feeling kind of dull and trudgy, and then spend a weekend taking care of some final business in one arena (and I think I will be celebrating something too), and also doing that Superbowl thang.  One foot in front of the other, I think I’ll make that field-trip walk to Sherman today.