Branson, Baby!

Family Vacation 2009: Branson, MO. Back in March/April, Bren got a frantic email from her sister that we HAVE to get the cousins together this year. I did not relish the idea of two days in the car with three kids and a cranky wife: Family Vacation 2008. But an equidistant location seemed to spread the pain for all. Branson, MO was decided as the ideal location. Cabins in the woods, boat on the lake, Grandma and Bonnie & Larry in next door cabin for emergency babysitting. Perfect.

Pine Ridge Log Cabins right off Table Rock Lake was the destination. Bill brought the boat and Grandma plus family. Bonnie & Larry came up from Little Rock. We brought the kids and Sally. A little terrified but made the trip ok and had a ball.

First thing was Branson Landing Fireworks show which we had to wait 4 hours and a Journey cover band to finally see the 12 minute extravaganza at 10pm! The kids had fun running around and we were parked on the river promenade but it took way too long. There's only one road in and out one lane a side and when we finally got back to the car it took an hour to go 3 blocks to the freeway. This is why dad never wanted to do these things.

The rest of the week was lake and boat time. Took the kids out on the lake and found an island to picnic on. The kids found a flock of Canadian Geese and shared their snacks. The twins weren't too thrilled with all the water yet but Ginny had a ball. Bill had an oversized inner tube trailing behind the boat for the kids to ride in. Ginny was right at home.

Just so happens my birthday was that week. 38 was a welcome stage. Bonnie and Larry even baked a cake. Date night with the wife for the State-of-the-Family update. Phoenix. Discworld. Even managed to put two and two together and got the cousin Carl to come down from St. Louis with Nicholle and Maggie to visit for dinner. 4 hour drive, 4 hour stay and 4 hours back. Amazed it worked out so well.

And to prove I was no longer a young man, Bill took me out one last day for water skiing. I haven't been on skis since I was 13 and I sucked then too. After about 10 attempts and some really hard wipeouts, I called it quits. I ended up pulling a muscle in my chest and lost my sunglasses to the lake. It hurts to sneeze.


I really hope we get to go back someday. These are the family vacations you dream about.

Better than unemployment...

So, news, everyone!  After much debate and budget legerdemain, Crest has decided they can't live without me and has agreed to keep me on as their in-house Layout guy.  The Alpha movie still isn't finished through blocking and they have a Direct-to-DVD project for Universal underway at the same time.  The DVD is nothing special but the turnaround is ridiculous.  Both films are to be delivered by Dec-Jan.  And then whatever they are trying to line up as a new feature before the Fall.  So, I have two weeks left before I get to go home for vacation and some man-cave.  We have a family vacation planned in July for us and Bren's sister's family to meet in Branson, MO for some outdoorsy fun.  I do not care if we don't set one foot in the town except for a dinner date.  No shows, no folk troupes, no Yakov Smirnov.  Just us and the lake and the woods for almost a week over my birthday. Woo Hoo! 

Two weeks left to finish Alpha and keep the directors at bay and not let them get all creative.  Not ideal, I like getting creative.  But there's not a lot of time and theirs around 50 shots left and the boss needs to review stuff as well and he'll be in India for the week.  Luckily, the stuff's gone through Indian blocking but I don't know how complex the fixes will be.  Hopefully better than the last sequence which traveled through all three RLO artists before it was finally conquered and approved Friday.  Two days late.  Well, a month and two days.  We were supposed to be finished with the movie back in May but BWAHAAAAHhahahaHAHAHAHH.  no.

I'll be driving home for the vacation because I need to get the car inspected back in Texas.  And wouldn't you know it.  Things are going pift inside.  Two weeks ago, the car dies on my way home and had to get a tow to this garage in SilverLake.  Replace Distributor Cap - Check.  This week, Check Engine light pops on.  could be anything.  Gas cap on tight - check.  Get diagnostic at EZLube: Oxygen sensor.  OK.  Back to garage.  Not Oxygen Sensor - faulty Distributor cap OR catalytic converter.  I am stranded this weekend while they continue to flush out the problem.  Granted the car is old and I don't know what or hasn't been done to the car but I'm worried that this is the tipping point where things start falling like dominoes.  Better now than on the freeway in Death Valley, right?

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