Having eyes to see . . . December 2, 2009

So isn’t it great?  All this time I’ve been telling you about meetings, and John1 working all the time on creating videos, and about what I do, and FINALLY you’re seeing, what all those words have been streaming (got a little Seussian there, love Seuss)  through the videos that are being posted on John’s YouTUBE channel.  It’s all so exciting!

It just occurred to me that you get to see John’s work but you really don’t “see” mine.  Like what I did  a good portion of the day.  So, let me give you the “eyes” to see it.  I do all things internet related.   So if its out there it came from here:  the web site,  setting him up on sites, his materials and name spread across the internet, all the learning of the new sites, working out the “Why didn’t that stupid thing work” problems, info in info boxes (if they are personal to him, such as “about me” boxes, I get him on the phone to sit with me for a bit and tell me what he wants in those little boxes, so those aren’t actually my words, those are my typing fingers entering text, then editing, and assisting with my, some times received, 2 cents.  Which I’m okay with.  I mean, it’s about him right?  Not me.  So my two cents may not have much worth.  LOL), pictures, links, mentions, FB Fan Page posts, his soon to be blog (which I’ll only set up, he’ll solely write)… all the internet criss crossing you might catch glimpses of.  That’s all my work and some of John2 too, can’t take 100% of the credit.

Being in our business is a team effort.  And in the age of social media serving as a business vehicle you better believe that it takes a team.  I also say all this because  the name of my blog is “From Housewife To Film Maker” and I really don’t speak of actual film making.  I’ve mentioned before the whys: we both can’t do the same thing, it needs to be subdivided and I was the best one for the tech stuff.  But still new friends may be scratching their head a little puzzled with my content.  So let me just say that when all the credits roll at the end of the movie, it took all those folks to create that piece of art.  And that is the case here.

So, I am becoming a filmmaker.  Just not exactly as I pictured it being, so far at any rate.  Some day my job description may change, but in the meantime I really am happy doing this end of things.  I’m learning to enjoy it really, well most of the time.  One neat thing is I’ve found some terrific blogs that I follow now.  Not that I have a blog roll to show them.  That thing remains a mystery to me.  Need more time to pick at that little bugger…

Yawn, Love ya,
Theresa Jane
-came home this evening to a note stuck in my door: Tomorrow they’re doing an inspection of all the apartments.  Yippee Skippy.  They’ve never done that before.  And isn’t that dandy?  So I had to get those dishes done.  I had to tidy up the place.  The thing that ticked me off was I had actually planned another of my big deep cleaning days the end of this week.  Actually scheduled it into my life.  And instead I had to take time I didn’t have to shift it forward.

Starting a buisness is like 52 Pick Up . . . November 4, 2009

Growing up I had 32 cousins swarming around and we were often together.  I was toward the tail end.  Next to last in the middle age group.  Two years younger than the one in line above me.  The middle group was, on some level, able to merge in with the older cousins depending on what everyone was doing.  I would trail behind and attempt to be allowed in too.  One thing that the “older” cousins did was play games.  Card games like Trump. Board games like Clue.  Being a good bit younger I was pretty much clueless when it came Clue.  I had to tease like the dickens to be allowed to play and then I lost every time.  Much to the sheer pleasure of the gloating older cousin who won every time.  Things for me weren’t much different with card games.   Unless we were talking Crazy 8′s, Old Maid…  But I yearned to learn.

One day when I was 8ish, without my asking, an older cousin asked me, “Do you wanna to learn to play a new card game?”
Totally astonished I said, “Yeah. Sure.”
He said, “Okay, so if I teach you, you’ll follow the rules?”
Puzzled, but without hesitating I eagerly agreed, “Yes.”
“You swear?” he pressed.
“Yes.  Swear,” I said shaking my head vigorously and holding up my hand.
“Okay then,” he said as he picked up the card deck, bent them between his fingers and thumb and said, “The name of this game is 52 Pick Up.  And this is how you play.”  He bent the cards nearly in half and sent them streaming through the air.  The cards showered pell mell all over the floor.
I stared down at them bewildered.
Through his laughter he said, “Now, you pick them up.”
My cheeks burned red and I worked my fists into tight balls.   I didn’t move.  “Pick ‘em up.  You said you would follow the rules.”
“No.”  I said.  But he jeered me and threatened to tell.  Then he did.  I picked up the cards, slapped the deck on the table in front him, called him, “Jerk,” and left the room.

Starting a new business is like 52 Pick Up.  You start out with a new deck of cards called your business.  It seems nice and tight and tidy.  Then you start to “play” and the cards fly everywhere.  All that you imagined you were going to do isn’t nearly all you need to do.

When I began this business with John, we started out working together every day.  We filmed things and learned how to edit them.  Very quickly we knew that there were a myriad of other things that we needed to do and learn if we were going to market in the 21st century of social media marketing.  And we both couldn’t learn every thing at the same time.  So now he largely films and edits.  I come along and film some.  After he’s edited the life into something I come in, view, and critic.  John2 is joining us now too.  I delve deeply into the marketing end.  I’m becoming the computer, internet techy that’s learning to speaks it’s foreign language.  There’s “cards” everywhere, and I’m bewildered.  But my cheeks aren’t burning.  I think it’s cool.  I’m happily following the rules and learning this “card game” without coercion–okay, maybe not without some suppressed screaming and streams of vulgarity resembling a seasoned sailor at times . . .

Night all, Love ya,
Theresa Jane
-who now understands Clue and once could even win some hands of Trump
-taking strength in knowing that I just need to pick up one card at a time

Starting a business can test your patience and Acorn squash stabbing . . . October 28, 2009

Wrote this hours ago:
Today I am edgy, irritable, frustrated. I want simple with a capital S. I want someone to come sit down in my computer chair and walk me through E V E R Y T H I N G that has to do with the net in relation to social media and what I need to learn. Everywhere I go there is something new. I find myself saying, “What? What are you talking about?” all the time. What is this, what is that, is this the same as that or is it different. So do I need both or not? Why are you not defining everything? When I go to a “beginning” anything page, I expect it to start at the beginning. Not just a niggle ahead leaving me to surf elsewhere in search of that stray piece of info. the author thought I was born with. Maybe it’s just me. I don’t know. Have I told you this before, am I repeating myself? It’s likely, since I talk to you, and to John 1&2, my friend Cathy and some to Heather about all things internet. It was Cathy btw that said, “I want things simple.” I lifted that from our IMing on FB and slapped it at the top of that previous post bearing that title BECAUSE I too want it simple. Ha! Funny, very funny. That’s like asking for child rearing to be a snap. There is a learning curve. A price one pays in order to be fluent in this language and that’s where I am. Or is, really, because I barely pause from the learning, which keeps me in the now, so possibly I should say, “That’s where I is.” LOL Grammar Nazi’s step aside. I’m recreating the language. And why not? Some unknown somebody created it in the first place, why can’t I do that same?! Throwing my head back here and howling half crazed laughter. Daring anyone to tell me I can’t. Don’t even go there today!

I’m hitting scream level and totally up to my ears in it. John2 was here and he said, “Yeah, I understand what you’re saying, but that was the only way I’ve learned and still learn anything that has to do with computers or the internet.” Well, that annoyed me. I wanted him to join me, to complain, kick the internet, and tell it to just go to hell in a hand basket, take a long walk off a short pier. To disappear off the face of the planet. It was all I could do to suppress snapping at him. So I walked away. Went to see what food was in the refrigerator. Discovery: Stabbing my chef’s knife into an acorn squash and then retching it down to slice it in half not only allowed me to cut that blasted thing in half much easier then the way I’ve been doing it, it also helped me released some steam. I’m now recommending this. And while your at it follow up with vigorously peeling potatoes and roughly cutting them in pieces also adds to the effect.

Added this tonight:
Well that was earlier, now I’m “serene.” All together. Nice and peaceful–just ignore the clinched jaw, it’s nothing. Really. Focus on the placid smile on my face. Just wish I hadn’t totally burned an entire tray of Pillsbury Halloween shape cookies to the delicate shade of black, setting off the fire alarm and alerting the entire world, before “serene” washed over me. Those cookies were supposed to be for a special treat for the kids. Okay and yeah, a few were going to be for me.

So now that I’m all calm I can say I know this is the better way ultimately. Anything you have to work at to learn and understand makes it your own. Allows you to really and truly learn it, every aspect. But really, earlier. Phish. Like who really cared? Me? Nope. I waded it all up and dumped it in the trash! Now I’m smoothing out the wrinkles and leaving it next to the computer and going to bed. That will seriously help!

Love ya, Night,
Theresa Jane
-who knows her tweets today sounded like I was all sweet and happy, but that was me making an effort to find my happy spot. Once I got to my blog I had to reveal the truth to my friends!