#195 - TAAFI and Sleepy

We were up at seven to get ready to head into the city for the TAAFI conference.

Robyn decided to join me on this little adventure, and we headed out to the train station after grabbing quick bite and packing plenty of drinks.

The drive into the station was quick. No surprise this early on a Saturday morning. We just missed the eight o’clock train, but the train we were there for was the eight twenty-four, so we just sat and drank our teas while browsing our phones. The sun was up and the air was crisp and fresh.

A good day to be up early if ever there was one.

I brought my laptop to write on the train and any slow moments during the day. My mentor assignment is due at three AM on Sunday, and I haven’t written anything so far, just played with some ideas about the setting and the situation.

I haven’t hit upon the idea that gets my juices flowing yet.

I might move over to pen and paper to brainstorm as the ideas seem to flow better with a pen in my hand. Writing this blog on the train is meant to get me into the writing mode. Starting with a blank page is always a little exciting, but also very daunting.

At least the train isn’t overflowing with passengers today. Plenty of seating for Robyn and me to sit together and plenty of elbow room for writing. The new lap desk is working amazingly well on these commutes. I could make any improvements it might be to have a lighter, carbon fiber option and a larger lip on the mouse pullout tray. My lap does not sit parallel to the floor when sitting in a train seat. Maybe if I had longer legs, I wouldn’t care.

Even and extra millimeter on the tray side walls would make all the difference to me. And of course, a carbon fiber option would be too expensive for most people to buy.

But a guy can dream, can’t he?

Maybe I will have to make one for myself.

It was a ten-minute walk to the TIFF Lightbox, and we made a quick stop to pick up some gum and mints. Your mouth gets so dry at these events. It’s a full day of nonstop talking. Four of our crew had already arrived and set up the table. Me and another fellow made a Starbuck’s run for everyone before the chaos started.

There were plenty of students from OCAD, Seneca, and Sheridan on hand. All three have strong animation programs. There were about six or seven tables in our area filled by mostly other animation companies and few guilds and a portfolio making company.

We were able to reconnect with some old friends and colleagues and then the students started to flood in, and it was all talking about the industry, our company and giving them advice on their portfolios and animation reels.

There were lots of great questions coming from the students this year.

A highlight for me was the students who I had spoken to last year returning to show me their portfolios. Every single one of them now had a hireable portfolio. That made me feel like the long grueling day was worth all the effort.

Robyn was super popular at the event and often had a ring of students surrounding her, their attention rapt, heads nodding as she spoke. Proud of my girl. She really loves helping the kids and giving them hope.

Before I knew it, it was lunch and the convention closes everything up and ushers everyone out of the space. We tried to get into a Mexican restaurant around the corner, but they couldn’t accommodate our crew of seven.

We ended up in the café attached to the TIFF Lightbox and had a great meal paid for by the company. It was a breakfast all day kind of place. I had a lovely Croque Monsieur and Robyn had avocado toast with a poached egg. Most of the others went for the egg’s benedict.

Then it was back to the convention room for a few minutes before the gates were opened and the people came in floods. The second half of the day was busier than the morning. There were line ups for each of us, with Robyn and me walking through the crowds directing the students to talk to the right people and stopping to talk to anyone who was interested in background painting. And there were too many to count.

We left around six, just before they shut it all down and headed back to the train. We walked straight into a mob of Jays fans. The baseball game had just let out, and the streets were flooded with people. We fought like salmon swimming up stream until we could finally turn towards the station and join the crowd heading that way.

It was a relatively short wait for the train, but it was standing room only. We managed to snag seats for ourselves, the seat I prefer for writing because of all the space it offers, but the mass of bodies and the exhaustion that set in prevented me from trying to get any writing done.

We were happy to exit the train and breath in some fresh cool air. I drove us home and Robyn left from there to pick up the kiddo from work.

At home the stiffness in my back asserted itself and I decided to lie down and rest for a little, watching some YouTube videos. I had my assignment to still write and that weighed heavily on my mind. But I knew I was too burned out to start it now.

I hot bath with the spa bubbler and some Advil were in my near future. They both helped with my back, but it had been building all week and standing all day had tweaked it a bit more. So, it was back to lying in bed for a while.

When Robyn returned, she brought me some chicken tenders from Swiss Chalet. The kiddo had convinced her to take him there. I was in no state to cook and was happy to receive the food.

I think we watched a little TV, and then we decided to call it a night. Well, for my part I set a timer for thirty minutes and made plans to get up and go write my assignment.

During those thirty minutes the idea for the assignment blossomed in my mind and a little relief entered my being. Now I knew what I was going to be writing about, the characters, the setting, the problem, and what the dialogue was centered on.

I should have got up and wrote the thing right then and there, but I was so exhausted. Instead, I set another alarm for three hours and dozed off. I would get up at midnight and write the thing in three hours.

I guess no one will be surprised to hear that I slept through that alarm.

I’d would have said goodnight, but I slept though posting this blog.