#227 - Zentos and Comedians

It’s just me up early catching a train to the studio. Robyn slept in and by Joe she deserves the extra sleep. I heard her coughing a few times, so maybe best to stay home and get the extra rest.

It was a rough start to the day, as is any morning when I am up before nine-thirty. I got a bit behind in my morning routine and didn’t get on a train until eight-ten. The train was an express and since I had just missed the previous train, wasn’t overly busy, at least at my stop.

I got a good writing seat and got to work on the laptop.

Walking to the station, a gentleman was about twenty feet in front of me, and his cologne game was so overpowering I nearly choked to death. I swerved to free myself from the thick, pungent cloud, but wherever I went it followed me like the smoke monster from Lost.

Today is the last day of our head of 3D at the studio. He has worked here for over a decade and helped navigate the company through various regime changes. To hear he was being let go due to the circumstances of the newest merger was heartbreaking for many of the people who had worked with him over the years. I hope they at least offered him a generous exit package to soften the blow.

Every day, we lose a little more of what made this studio fun and exciting, while we tell ourselves to be grateful for what work we have yet under the constant expectation that it will be us next that are let go.

I haven’t received the response from my writing instructor yet, but I was a bit late in handing in my assignment, so I can give her some latitude.

A medical emergency was called out over the train's intercom. Somewhere near the rear of the train. We were just pulling into the station, so hopefully the person got medical attention. And then a person sitting in my car started to wobble, and people ushered them into a seat. It looked like the person might have come close to fainting. The train car felt incredibly steamy today, like a sauna; the windows fogged up and the air felt thick and oppressive.

When the doors to the train finally opened, the cool, fresh air was a welcome relief.

I walked to the Pain au Dore Café and got myself a breakfast sandwich before heading into the studio. The walk there was calm, and I felt I needed the quiet moment before arriving at work.

The colleague who was leaving had a troupe of people helping him empty his office of his personal effects, posters, and other items. He busied himself with giving away a Nespresso machine and finding homes for his office plants. There is a big lunch planned at the Mill Street Restaurant and Brewery. I won’t be attending as there was only so much room; they could book without contacting an event planner.

The studio fridges are filled with beer and other beverages for a farewell send-off starting at four thirty. We’ll have another goodbye lunch tomorrow as more people are finishing their time here at the studio as well. Too many goodbye lunches lately.

On a positive note, I received my mentor's response to my latest story, which came back with a positive review. I struggled with the first-person point of view at first, delaying the story for two weeks, but in the end, I wrote something I thought was okay.

To have my mentor say it was good, heart warming and charming made my day.

She urged me to send it out into the world.

But since the story is half based on truth, things that actually happened, I would have to ask a friend for his permission first, or I could just change the names.

My next assignment is both daunting and exciting at the same time. I need to write a spy thriller. My mentor asked me to send her a list of time periods and places in which I felt I could set a spy thriller . I mentioned in passing that I thought the world needed a Canadian spy thriller, because our CSIS is so good most people don’t even know who they are or what they do.

And really, how many more FBI, CIA, KGB, MI5 stories do we need? How about the Canuck perspective?

So that is my assignment. I’ll be starting that tonight because I can’t see it being a short story. She mentioned I should use multiple viewpoints, and that shows to me it is likely to be a longer piece. I have ten days to get something written.

The kiddo just contacted me to see how much it costs to make pulled pork. He is trying to figure out his craft services for his summer film project. It was an unveiled bid to get me to make it and pay for it, of course, but I was happy to help if it aids in his success.

The new art director asked me to grab a coffee with him this morning. A shrewd tactic to get to know everyone and spread a little cheer in the world. It’s something I might do if I was in his position, as it gives people a chance to see you as human, and an opportunity to speak their minds to you directly.

As for my word challenge, I am currently about three days behind. Not great, but its still early in the month, and I suspect I’ll be writing the spy thriller every day, and my word count is likely to exceed the monthly minimum. But I am excited to start this new idea and see where I can take it.

I feel like I need to brush up on my spy genre information before I get started.

My lunch hour has come to an end; time to swap the writer hat for the painter hat.

The rest of the day went well; I was the only person on the paint team that came into the studio today. By four thirty, I stopped working for the day and went into the kitchen where the farewell party was taking place for a few departing colleagues. They had hundreds of boxes of pizza, wine, coolers, and soft drinks for all. A short speech was given to thank those who were departing for all their efforts.

I sat with Joseph, who works in the builds department. They specialize in creating the character rigs and props with which the characters interact . His last day in the studio is tomorrow, and we will be going out for lunch to send him off in style.

The two of us chatted mostly about AI and the real impacts it’s having as well as the lack of impact. We both felt that the technology is not as disruptive as the pundits would have you believe, and the flaws of the technology are starting to be fully realized by the people trying to use it.

I sat beside a young guy on the train this morning, not really thinking anything of it at the time. Who should plunk themselves down beside me on the ride home but the same happy fellow? He recognized me by the phone holders I had attached to my laptop. After exchanging surprise at the chances of this happening, we shook hands, both happy to have had the experience.

The train we are on is an all-stops and one that is a little later than the one I would normally have taken. I felt spending a little extra time at the party was a good thing to do; you never know if or when you will see any of these people in the future. The world is too topsy-turvy right now.

So far, I have managed to avoid all the rain, and if all goes well, I’ll get home before it lets loose again. It’s great for growing new grass seed, though.

The number of people wearing vast amounts of cologne and perfume lately has overwhelmed me. I wonder if the warmer weather is spurring this on or if it’s like a fashion trend that is cyclical. I could really do without, and my nose would be very thankful.

I read in the news today that Cuba, starved of oil by the US, is now pivoting to solar power on an individual basis, backed by Chinese-imported solar panels.

With an increase in rolling blackouts, solar is becoming more popular. There is still a lack of resources to make it a fundamental change, but it seems those enterprising Cubans are buying a lot more panels than in previous years. According to a CNN article, they went from $3 million in panels to $117 million in 2025. The Cuban government also has agreements with China to open 92 solar parks across the country to bring power to about 1 million homes.

And since the power grid in Cuba is crumbling, this may be a good way forward. Although it has to be said that a full solar solution would not meet the country's energy demands even with batteries. Either way, it will be a long a hard road for the Cuban people, something they are used to. I hope they get a bit of peace soon.

The other day, one of my colleagues returned from a trip to Japan with a pen called the Uniball Signature Zento. It’s a fancy version of a gel rollerball. It became very popular very quickly and sold out almost immediately. I liked the look of it, and a gel rollerball is my go-to writing instrument when a fountain pen is impractical.

The prices of these pens skyrocketed to over $150. And recently a new batch was produced, and I was able to get one on eBay for about $60. It has shipped from Japan and is on its way here as we speak. I’m looking forward to taking it for a spin.

And yes, I have a pen addiction.

Sue me.

I’ve managed to get a little over 1700 words written today. I always seem to get more done when I am trapped on the train. Maybe I’ll become a writer that travels from town to town on a railcar, stopping to visit people wherever I end up and then writing while the train is in motion. I’ll have to book one of those fancy sleeper cars that travel from Toronto all the way to Vancouver just to see how much writing I get done.

Back home, Robyn was already watching TV as I got home later than usual. She had a Netflix show starring Kevin Hart called Funny AF. The shows premise is to have comics competing to be the top comic. Every episode Hart has a comedy legend come out to co-host the show with him. There are different types of comedic challenges, and when I came into the room, they were just finishing the roast challenge.

The rest of the episodes were centered on a five-minute routine that needed to include some unrehearsed crowd work. Many of the comics were good, and some definitely had star potential.

Initially, I was not interested in the show, but as it went on, I found I liked the insights into the performances made by the host and co-hosts. Budding comedians should watch this show to pick up some pointers and advice.

After that, I felt like changing things up a bit and opted to put on “The Boys.” There can’t be too many episodes left in this final season, and since it is “The Boys,” I expect them to go out with a bang and massive amounts of gore.

It’s creeping up on midnight, and it’s been a long day. I am still feeling buzzed from my mentor's response to the story, particularly since I wasn’t sure if it was any good. I knew it was a fun story for me, but I had no clue if other people would like it or get it.

My writing teachers tell us constantly that you can’t judge your own work. And the more I write, the surer I am of that advice.

We are up early again tomorrow, so I hope you had a good day today as well.

Until tomorrow.