#333 - Buying the Silence

Up early as always on a Thursday to head into the city.

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining and it felt like it might be a warm day later on. We had a pleasant drive to the station, not too much traffic or construction at this hour. It always amazes me what being five minutes early does to the commute to the station five minutes later and it would have been busy.

We found a sweet spot close to the front and to the side of the aisle which offers more space to open your doors. They made the parking spaces as small as they could at the Go Train Station. Everything was going our way.

A train was on approach as we topped the stairs and made our way down the track. It looked like it was going to be a busy train with all the passengers we could see through the windows. But we managed to get seats together.

I may have fallen asleep a few times on the ride in, but I don’t think I did any snoring because I ama sure that Robyn would have been more than eager to tell me all about it. I needed the rest and it was good that no one really carrying on loud phone conversations in our section of the train. Robyn read her book while I napped. A near perfect ride into work.

We headed through the recently opened CIBC Square towards the Esplanade after exiting the train. The weather still cooperated and it was a pleasant walk. We turned to make our way to the Au Pain Dore Café to get some breakfast. I got my usual grilled vegetable sandwich, and Robyn got her bacon omelet croissant. I grabbed a San Pellegrino orange drink as well and we ate out on the patio. There was a craft services truck parked right out front, and we watched as crew and talent came to get their orders. Everyone seemed to be dressed like the scenes were taking place in a restaurant. Girls in all black looked like servers and there were guys in chef outfits as well.

A few minutes before nine we were walking into the studio. The day started with people chatting loudly and that continued for almost half an hour. I put my lunch in the fridge, a collection of odds and ends that Robyn put together for me. A couple of boiled eggs, baby carrots, a mandarin and some yellow pepper slices. She even added in an apple sauce to finish it all off.

I got to work finishing the renders and making sure the files were where they needed to be and then got down to the business of approving and revising. There wasn’t a lot of messages going around this morning and that was probably because I was at work and not sleeping comfortably on my bed!

I spent some time looking through the assets for the next show I will be supervising, but there wasn’t a whole lot to see. I received some requests from other departments to modify or replace some layers of files, and I was happy to be able to get them done so quickly. I don’t like to make the other departments wait for us.

I rendered the fixes and sent them off.

Noon arrived and we ate with some friends at a long table. We did the usual chatting about work and then moved on to other topics, often laughing at each other’s jokes and comments. We seem to have fallen into having lunch with these same people most of the time. Another colleague joined us with two slice of pepperoni pizza in hand.

And almost immediately afterwards free pizza was given out in the kitchen to any who wanted it. Apparently, our storyboard team had a bit of a treat and there was plenty left over. We remarked that our own departments never got this treatment and that the moment you buy something it shows up for free in this kitchen. I suppose there are worse things that can happen.

I grabbed a slice and enjoyed every bite.

After lunch I was back at my desk revising and approving until there came a point that there was nothing left to revise or approve. One of my artists owed my two paintings for this episode and that was it.

But sure enough, the universe abhors a vacuum, and it provided me with something else to do. We had background that needed all the little pieces in it to move spearateed and that would take some time to figure it all out. Sometimes we use something called Blending modes in our layers that allow us to create vivid looks like glows, shadows or beams of light.

But that can also complicate things. Another way you can complicate a file is to use FX adjustment layers to alter the images. You could for example add an outer glow to some light bulbs using an adjustment layer. And that adjustment layer could have some blending modes bult into it to make matters even worse.

And that was what I was dealing with. Thirty-one instances that this double type of adjustment layer. I spent two hours unravelling that mystery so that the assets could move around on their own and still look good. A real pain.

I got it done and then had to do it for another thirty-one layers. In the end I had a much smaller file to work with and one that would allow the director to move things as we wished.

I worked on that while listening to a meeting of all departments about another upcoming show. I may as well make good use of the time. As I sent the files to the render farm, the clock passed five o’clock and we were both ready to leave for the day.

It was another good walk to the station along the Esplanade. We chatted about this and that as we walked and a light rain began to softly fall on our heads.

We made it to the station without getting soaked and made our way to track number ten where a train was just about to arrive. There were plenty of people lined up to get on and on both sides of the tracks. The train stopped with its door near us and we were some of the first to board. It was an empty train to start with and that meant there would be plenty of seats. We grabbed two upstairs and I went fo my laptop to make sure I got something written before coming home for the day. It turned out this was an all-stops train and people talked a bit more than I would have liked, but on the all-stops that just seems to be the way.

I was able to tune them out without too much trouble and keep my mind focused on the writing.

But I was able to write over twelve hundred words in the time it took to get to our stop and that feels like time well spent.

Back home, I headed upstairs to relax for a while. Robyn took the car to pick up the kiddo #2 from work and grab a few items from the grocery store. We have guests coming over tomorrow to celebrate a friend’s new job and their birthday with drinks on the back deck.

Robyn picked up some pecan pie and some individual pastries to have for the birthday celebrations. We should have got some other munchies as well, but there will be time tomorrow to pick those up before people arrive at the house.

Some of my favorite YouTubers had new videos out and I started to relax as I watched them. A blacksmith was digging a pit in his workshop to install a concrete pad to house his massive Massey power hammer. A Norwegian fellow continued to sail his solar boat towards Portugal while designing the next boat with a fellow in Norway. And a plucky mountain climber who lives in a van with his dog and girlfriend climbed a mountain and made some baked goods.

Yep, this is how I spend some of my free time. Willingly.

Robyn came back just as the last video was ending and she had a sandwich from Fortino’s for me. I wanted a porchetta sandwich, but the lady gave Robyn a chicken wrap instead for some reason. Robyn mentioned that the two women behind the counter seemed to be having a bad day and weren’t doing a great job serving her.

I ate the sandwich anyway. I was disappointed, the porchetta sandwich tasted so good, anything else could only be a poor substitution, but it was my dinner and it wasn’t terrible.

We put on a Netflix show called the West Enders about an Irish mob in 1980’s New York trying to stay relevant amongst the more powerful Italians. It stars J.K. Simmons as well as Titus Welliver. So far it seems like it could be good. It feels a bit like they are trying to do Peaky Blinders in America, but I am willing to give it some more episodes.

After the first episode finished, I shut the tv off and we both read our books for an hour or so. I also played a game of chess to make sure I kept both streaks alive for one more day. I one my game after an equal opening the game appeared like it could head to a draw. My opponent even offered one. I declined naturally. I saw that opening up the board by making equal exchanges might lead to creating an advantage for me to pounce on. And sure enough, that is exactly what happened. My opponent made some bad moves and eventually I was able to take the upper hand.

As for the reading, the novel is entering the period when the Chinese are starting to organize, and a new power is sweeping through the country. All the country’s issues are being blamed on the treaties and the foreigners. Sounds a bit like the United States these days.

Of course, many of the Chinese are poor at this time and see this as a way to have a better life. The American gunboat is essentially surrounded by hostiles and has to be careful about its actions.

Basically, all the rules have changed overnight, and no one quite knows how to play the game. Although, at this point in the story the Chinese are doing it better.

It certainly increases the tension in the story and makes it feel like things are sitting on a tinder box waiting for the smallest of sparks to set everything off. Every relationship that has been made is now in jeopardy.

I read until my eyes started getting tired and then I switched over to writing. I still had about 2500 words to write before I could consider my daily quota achieved. Even with the 1200 words from the train writing session from earlier in the day, the quota still hangs heavy around my neck.

My session was interrupted by kiddo #2 asking to borrow my scooter and then sharing his facetime chat with his best friend. She asked us to rate how charming she was. I guess she has an upcoming date with a new guy, and her girl brain is going crazy. Both kids are nut jobs at the best of times, but at least they are cute.

I wrote for a little bit more and then my eyes started stinging and watering, so I took a break, went downstairs and made myself a cup of tea. Tea makes everything better. Taking little breaks is good for keeping me writing. It takes a lot out of you to keep going hour after hour.

That is something one of my writing teachers does a lot. He tends to write late at night and well into the morning. Sound familiar?

But he’ll take naps and short breaks from writing and then return to his writing desk. Sometimes he’ll stop for a couple of hours and watch tv with his wife and then return to write in the quiet house of the night.

Of course, he doesn’t have to wake up until elven most days and his day job is all about his writing and teaching writing career. Still, the guy can get more done in day than me and is also in his mid-seventies. Talk about showing us all up!

It’s one of the reasons I chose him as a teacher. He walks the walk and talks the talk.

I wish I had the ability to take more short naps during the day, but the company I work for frowns on them. I am pretty sure the company you work for does the same.

I forgot to mention I had the talk with the person at work I was encouraged not to speak with. Unfortunately for both our supervisors, we are of the same mind and believe that sharing information is essential to getting the best work out of both of us.

We had a pleasant chat, and she asked both me and the other supervisor lots of good questions. I feel we understood our two departments better after the short meeting. I kept waiting for one or two of the people who didn’t like us to speak to each other to come rushing into the room, but it seems they were otherwise distracted.

I collected a bowl worth of cherry tomatoes, one large tomato, and a few strawberries from our garden this evening. I thought it was a pretty good haul. Those cherry tomatoes have some great flavour to them. I gobble them up as a snack and they pair well with a little block of cheddar.

We have a few yellow bell peppers on the way. One looks ready to pick and the others are all still small and green but getting bigger every day. I snipped a few leaves away near where they might touch the peppers because some of them developed a thin wall. I surmised it was the leave touching the fruit that was causing that. And I figured getting more sun on the fruit might be a good thing for it. I really have to sit down and learn about growing bell peppers one day. Everyone I have talked to says they have never had any luck with bell peppers.

There has to be some YouTube video about growing bell peppers successfully out there somewhere.

I managed to remember to weigh myself this morning. Something I have been meaning to do for days but always forget until it’s too late. Two hundred and fifty-six point seven pounds.

Not the number I wanted to see, but not as bad as I feared either.

I know that tracking my weight will make me more aware of it and that will cause it to go down over time. It’s really the snacking that gets me most days. When I have healthy snacks at hand, I tend to eat them and when I don’t I go for the sugary snacks.

Today went well with my veggie breakfast sandwich in the morning and the eggs and veg for lunch. Then some free pizza became available and the downfall started. I did, to my credit, avoid any studio snacks and I made sure to drink two cups of green tea instead of having sodas and coffee. The caffeine in green tea acts differently in the body and helps control appetite and increase your metabolism.

I had the chicken wrap that Robyn brought home and was doing well until about eleven PM when I got the munchies and ate some Mr. Christie cookies. Big mistake.

But as I make myself more aware I will start to make better choices again. I need to remember how much more energy I have when I eat right and get a bit of cardio. It really is night and day.

I was kicked out of our bedroom because the noise of me typing was annoying Robyn who had rolled over and gone to sleep. The keyboard on this laptop is super quiet, so I was probably me moving around in the bed, the light from the screen and the faint tapping that all worked against me.

I was a little put out, but I couldn’t really blame her for asking me to write somewhere else. The change of scenery was probably a good thing anyways. And I had my new writing chair all set up in the writing cave, so why not use it.

The basement is nice and cool, which is great because I often get warm while writing. The chair puts me into a better ergonomic position as well compared to sitting up in bed. The chair is a superior place to write and there are less distractions in the cave than in the bedroom.

Coming down to the cave felt better almost immediately. I’m glad my wife kicked me out of my bed. All the cave needs now is a little mini fridge filled with Perrier and Dr. Peppers!

My work colleague has some great over-the-ear headphones she was using during a call. She held her phone that was playing music and we couldn’t hear it over the call. She also had workers in the house repairing flood damage and we could never hear what was going on. It seemed like pretty amazing microphones that only picked up her voice and nothing else. I thought they would make a great addition to the writing kit. I ordered the same pair but made sure mine had noise cancellation as well. I have really enjoyed the ANC that my earbuds provide, but I thought an over the ear headphone might be work a try.

I should receive it tomorrow. I bought a used set from Amazon that might have a blemish on it. I can always return them. I am not an audiophile, so the sound quality is likely to be fine, and all the reviewers seemed happy with the quality. I was going to buy the newer model, but they changed the design and made a weak spot that people complain about breaking.

The older model never had that issue.

I might even use them for work too because the cheap pair the studio supplied me with is terrible and I have to wear it all askew to get the microphone to pick up my voice. I’d be interested in trying then with the dictation software as well. Bluetooth mics often don’t do well with dictation software, but I have hunch these will work a treat since the isolate everything but the voice.

Right now, as I type this, the kids are above me in the kitchen and it sounds like they are two professional wrestlers slamming each other onto the mat. Or maybe the sound of baby elephants learning to do ballet. Really they are just having their midnight snack and being siblings. It’s great to hear them getting along with each other but, those headphones can’t come fast enough.

They may have been outside looking at a lunar eclipse. I thought I read that one might happen this week.

I see Dopey Donnie signed an executive order to change Lake Ontario to Lake America in a pointless gesture that has little meaning. I’m not sure what good renaming it will do; the naming only takes effect in America. I can’t see the Canadian government adopting it anytime soon or the Canadian people for the matter. I guess he must see a purpose to adding fuel to the fire.

All this tariff talk has certainly stopped people talking about his long-time friendship with child molester Jeffery Epstein.

Anyway, hate to end on that but it’s time for me to hit the sack.

Until tomorrow.