The New Year

I am back in Omaha after a trip to Park City/Deer Valley, Utah and I am trying to stay inspired and productive. The Utah weekend was much fun as usual; it never fails to disappoint and to revive the senses. I forgot how numbing and LONG the harsh Midwestern winters can be, and although I was still surrounded by snow it was a much needed break from my surroundings and routine.

I've never been much into resolutions, but I feel committed to a number of things this year including pushing myself creatively and having more discipline with my creative endeavors so that I get more done. I am going to hold myself to starting and eventually finishing a short fiction film and a short documentary. I tend to get sidetracked with all of the other stuff I'm doing (most of which I love): teaching, writing, reading, watching TV and films, passing time, hanging out, going to concerts, etc. but I realized that I really want to make films and have to really dedicate myself to that task. I also plan to volunteer somewhere on a regular basis, something I have thought about for awhile now. Maybe it's the combination of the surge of hope, change and optimism of Obama, or rather more specifically the hope and optimism that comes from the still startling fact that our country elected Obama and I feel supportive of our government and a proud citizen, and the fact that I turned 28 this year. Yikes.

To steer away from some of the seriousness and just discuss a few things I have been enjoying lately, how about this great time of television? I am on the season finale of Season 2 of Mad Men (so wonderful!), caught the season premiere of Friday Night Lights (so glad it's back), and am gearing up for the season premiere of Lost tonight. Not to mention the shows that I continue to follow or have recently watched in their entirety: 30 Rock, The Office, 24, Gossip Girl, Weeds, The L Word and Brothers and Sisters. I've been meaning to re-start The Wire, but when will I have time? I can barely keep up with all of these shows.

I caught some films at Sundance and I can't wait for Humpday to be released theatrically because I saw it and loved it. So funny and realistic. Skiing was primarily on the agenda in Utah (my first time ever...I'm still in one piece), but I also saw one of the fiction shorts programs and the doc shorts. There were some good ones and some not good ones, as is often the case with short programs. Watching the shorts did contribute to re-igniting the spark of really wanting to make a short film soon.,