The end is nigh

(well, of January at least)

Now a week of holiday starts. Without the distraction of work, I can do
what I want, or need to do to feel better about myself.

Now that sounds a bit strange doesn't it ? I've at least had a decent
weekend, cleaned the flat, had a nice time with my daughter when she
stayed over.

I'm determined to make more of this week off than I normally do. Time is
a precious commodity. We had a very good night filming on Wednesday. Rob
had come up with an idea for a piece, and we set about filming it.
Despite the sub zero temperatures, we did some filming outside. We got a
couple of funny looks at the train station, but we're used to that. What
was weird was that there was a guy there with a camera, taking pictures.
I wasn't even sure if he was official. I know the paranoia that exists
in the conciousness of the population these days. I'm surprised that the
police never turned up and carted us away.

It was, however really good to see Rob again, he's not been able to make
that many sessions lately, not that many at all. The piece that he'd
created was a reflection of the treatment that he received at the hands
of one of his teachers while he was coming to terms with his Mother's
death. I think that's about the second thing that we've filmed that
turned out to have some sort of therapeutic value to it. It's an
interesting combination of genres that we end up dealing with. On the
one hand, we have the slapstick quick-shot comedy then on the other
these dark, deep, almost morbid pieces. I guess it provides an
interesting contrast. Not many production companies seem to do the same,
which is kind of strange when you come to think that actually life
lurches from side splitting hilarity to body shaking, tear flowing
disaster.

Disaster, talking of that. What is it about this time of year that seems
to make it prone to disasters ? The Boxing Day Tsunami, and then the
massive, devastating earthquake in Haiti. With the death toll somewhere
in the hundreds of thousands...how fragile our existence is. Now the
might and logistics of the American armed forces are deployed to help in
the relief effort. Is it perhaps a shame that without the 'distraction'
of (unwinnable) wars the resources of so many nations could be turned to
relief efforts, to easing suffering rather than creating it.

Is this year looking any different to all the others ? A bit. There's
some resolution that as we get older, the chances to make a difference
get harder and harder to come by. That desperation that fades into
apathy and resignation.

So many things are the same. They're not going to change all by
themselves.