Change in relocation plans

As things are looking, it seems I may be taking a much harder look at relocation to the New York-New Jersey metro area.  As much as I love the Albany area, I need to consider what I need to do when it comes to employment opportunities, and the fact that I may be filming Carrie's World "down there."

I am no total stranger to New Jersey.

From January to May 1983, I had the misfortune of working for a now-defunct daily newspaper, The Daily Advance of Dover, NJ.  Actually, the newspaper facility was located in Roxbury Township, west of the city.  The newspaper paled in circulation and quality compared to the Morristown Record, as well as the Newton New Jersey Herald.  Things did not work out there.

But it made me mindful that, if I move to the Garden State, I should not have unrealistic expectations, and should be prepared for what lies ahead.  I did not do this in January 1983, when I moved there, and it caused me trouble.

Unlike 1983, the Binghamton area is acutely depressed, and conditions are worsening.  Some businesses, such as the legendary Pat Mitchell ice cream parlor, are never returning.  And unlike that time, I have ambitions for what I want out of life, and I am reinventing myself.

I may sound foolish for reinventing myself at age 52.  But this is no time for looking back on my past.  I have made immense personal progress as a human being over the past year.

Unlike the past, I am working out at Planet Fitness, and I can feel the difference!  I walked more erect yesterday than I had remembered, perhaps due to less body fat and to better back muscles.  I am eating better than I have in a long time.

And unlike so many of my peers, this is not a time of looking forward to golf and retirement.  On the contrary, I would like a younger spouse, because she could keep up with me more, and because I would like a second shot at family life.  I like the technology out there, such as tablets and smart phones, because I like communicating.

Beyond that, though, it may be that my future lies in work involving people skills.  God knows I got training in that with Batman 1969's production, as well as the current preparation for Carrie's World.  It would behoove me to make changes, in this day and age, especially when nothing exists here.

Cat Blog 5.1

Progress ahead

As this week draws to a close, there is excellent news to report on.


My casting post for Carrie's World has yielded a bumper crop of performers, as well as behind-the-scenes people, which will make the launch of the series that much easier.  And it looks like we will get more heroes, as well as villains!  One gal may be recruited as Barbara Gordon, which would make sense, given that she is now the current Batgirl.


Additionally, I received my Christmas "gift," an upgrade of my SONY Vegas.  I am now using version 11, which seems to run smoother than version 9 did.  As things stand right now, though, I may need to get the hard drive transferred to a new computer that would have much greater processing power as well as more RAM.


So it looks like I will have more to work on in the coming week, writing people back about their roles and the like.  Anyway, it is my intent to get production under way in early 2012.

Getting sidetracked

My apologies for not posting in the past two to three weeks, but I have been assisting New York State Electric & Gas, working at their Vestal, Kirkwood and Owego locations.  We had a major flood take place immediately after Labor Day, and it has devastated the Southern Tier of New York.  Though I did not directly clean up flooded areas—it was housekeeping duties at the NYSEG facilities—it kept me busy, and it did provide aid for the utility.

That said, I should be returning to my job hunt, which I hope will land me professional employment in the Capital District or possibly New York City.  Whatever the case, it has been a very memorable month!

Images of Batman 1969 (Act 2)

Tarleton and Bender celebrate Christmas 1968

Bender meets with Professor Crane, 9 March 1969

Maggie, the sister of Molly the Mole

A portrait of Molly

Molly's daughter, Carrie Kelley

Tarleton and Bender meet, May 1969

Bruce mourns Molly, May 1969

Ted Grant (Wildcat) meets Bruce Wayne

Aunt Harriet's in the hospital. Bruce meets Wildcat and Batgirl.

Happy (Belated) Birthday to actress Jill St. John!

Because my full-time job was winding down, I did not write about the birthday of actress Jill St. John, who turned 71 on Friday, 19 August 2011.  I have had a fondness for her ever since I saw her perform in the premiere episode of Batman, on 12-13 January 1966.


On that note, here are some images of her.  Enjoy!

Stalled at the moment …

Thank God that I got Batman 1969 out when I did.  Sorry for not posting all this earlier, but this summer has been a busy time.  And I worked like mad on getting the film out.  It was difficult releasing it, and I had to keep tweaking it throughout July.  But it is now out, and the reviews have mostly (and I mean mostly) have been positive.


I had planned on filming a standalone production, Batman: Saratoga Dreamin', this month, since I had planned a vacation for 17-25 September.  That and my Web series, Carrie's World, are on hold for the moment, because my job situation has changed.  I am part-time at the moment, because my company lost a contract, and I chose to remain with it, and not stay at the work site.  I had reasons for doing so, and now I have a chance to make a break and get relocated to the Capital District.


I know that the change is necessary from a long-term perspective (or purr-spective, if you're a Catfan like me!), but for the moment, things are a little challenging.  I would be up to the Capital District this weekend, but rain has been in the forecast.  Indeed, there was a tornado watch.


No matter.  There is a chance my next major job will likely be located in the region, which suits me fine.  But in the meantime, this has been a weekend that has been too quiet for my liking.  Oh well …

Batman 1969 to be released on or around 1 July!!

Finally, I have excellent news to report on!


First, my child support has officially ended, and I am getting full paychecks!  I'll need that, as I had to endure repair work on my 2004 Hyundai Elantra.


But more importantly, Batman 1969 is finally seeing the light of day!!  The film will be released on 1 July 2011, which is Confederation Day in Canada.  It is also the birthday of our Catwoman, Millicent Sherman.  Sadly, cast member Craig Terry, who was her beau, died suddenly on 11 June in Michigan.  He played a FBI agent dressed as a Catwoman henchman.  The Prologue/Act 1 section is dedicated to his memory.


The fan film has taken way too long to get out there, especially given this recent event.  However, so many film projects never get completed, so this is reason to celebrate.  Anyway, more details will follow.

Random thoughts, 2 May 2011

I woke up this morning tired out, and finally got up after 9 p.m. to the news that Osama bin-Laden had died. Good riddance to that cockroach!  I thought I was going to do more, but have been sooooo tired out.  Awful!


However, I am working on finishing touches on Batman 1969, and am planning to tour comic book stores for Free Comic Book Day in the Albany, NY area.  Target date for release of the fan film is 1 June, my birthday.


And speaking of birthdays ...


Lesley Gore, the singer, turns 65 today, and it is also my sister's birthday.  I wish them all the very best, and may this be a great one for them!

Sandy Nelson with The Astronauts - Drum Dance

I thought I would share this with those following my blog. The tune is fantastic, and the lady in the video is Sherry Jackson, who was a moll on Batman, among other things. Enjoy!

Post 50

It's the day after St. Patrick's Day, and I am feeling tired, but not hung over.


Thank God!


But I had cause to celebrate, because I did some "green" business, involving good financial transactions, and acquired a new Western Digital 2TB external hard drive for the sake of data backup.  I also have begun the process of acquiring a new video camera with much greater capability than my current unit.


As per Batman 1969, I await the original music that has been composed for it.  Hopefully, word will come real soon.  But in any event, I hope to get it out this spring, since the footage is all pretty much in place!  Like everyone else, I am impatient to get this out.

At home, away from the snow (random thoughts)

January 2011 has been a time when I know change is in the air.  I can clearly tell I need to make career changes, and am aiming for self employment.  While I would like to go to the Albany, NY area (not necessarily the city), I got a yearning for Texas' Gotham City, Austin—thanks to seeing True Grit last night (31 January)!


Actually, I saw two movies in January: The Green Hornet, about a week ago, and True Grit.  The former had many good elements, but I could not stomach Seth Rogen's portrayal of the lead character.  The movie was also badly made from a financial standpoint, because too much money was wasted.  Had it used a smaller budget, and focused on a great story line, AND had a better lead actor, such as Jon Hamm, it would have scored.


That movie is not a total bomb, but it was a real waste.


True Grit (2010) is a superb take on the 1968 novel of the same name, and it is a different animal, compared to the 1969 movie.  Some of the landscape looked semi-familiar, and it turns out that the movie was filmed around Austin and Blanco, Texas, where I lived from 1993 to 1996.  It also was filmed in the high plains near Santa Fe, New Mexico.  


Unfortunately, I have had some issues at work that have caused considerable stress.  But that should be impetus to move ahead with self employment.  And it seems all my time on different Batman message board, such as the 1966 Batman Message Board, has had an effect on my path, in a positive way!


And so has Batman 1969!  Yes, I am still on it, and may be making progress with the music in the next 36 hours or so.  I have some remaining voice over work to do tonight, but will do so.  Anyway, I am sure I will have more to report on soon enough!

My first post for 2011 ...

Well, there is good news and bad news to report on.  The good news is that progress is being made on Batman 1969.  Not only is the shooting all done, but it is all coming together nicely.


Now the bad news.


My SONY camcorder, which has been in use since 2007, apparently has internal problems.  It freezes up from time to time, and I then have to take out the batteries and then reinsert them to "reboot" the camera.  This has been happening since September, and I got word today from SONY it would cost at least $341 to have them look at it.  For a camera that has been around 3½ years, sounds like it is time to upgrade to another camcorder. God knows I need this for future video work, whether it is for fan films or for public relations/media work that I hope to do.


I am also sure a new PC is in order as well, especially for the processor speed for video rendering.  We'll see what happens here!  Stay tuned for further developments!