And Beyond.
In late December of 2005, I composed a (rather lengthy) year-in-review for my Xanga. If you’re one of the brave souls that read the entire post back then, or even now, I salute you. You have done a difficult thing.
And fortunately for you, this is not one of those articles.
I still want to write a year-in-review for 2009, but I don’t have time this morning. And really, this post isn’t about 2009. It’s about 2010. I suppose you might call it a “year-in-preview.”
I thought it important to solidify some goals for the new year. Yes, I’m a bit late (the resolutions train left before I could get on!), but, well, better late than never. And as I contemplated said goals, I was reminded of the parable of the rich man and his barns that Jesus told. So I have to remind myself that these are only some loose plans for the future, and God’s will be done, for that is what really matters. There’s another passage that makes that point (something along the lines of “don’t say ‘next year we’ll go do this’ but say ‘if it’s God’s will”), but I couldn’t find it. Does anyone know?
Now then, on to the goals!
Landmarks to be placed on the road of 2010:
1. Love my wife more each day.
My heart is glad that I have a lifetime to love Brooke, for I have so much still to learn. Though I don’t always get it right, I’m actively working on this daily. She deserves nothing less.
2. Read and talk less about politics by tomorrow.
I’m a strong advocate for limited Constitutional government, and care about our republic. But I’m also a Christian, and I’ve begun to realize that politics is really a red herring. Abortion is a terrible thing, but if we as Christians spent more of our time on changing people’s hearts rather than changing the law, wouldn’t we have a much greater effect? And people would be coming to know Christ along the way. This idea merits a longer blog post later, but that should get the idea across.
3. Move to a more desirable area by September.
When Brooke and I decided to start our California life in Garden Grove, it wasn’t really because we had any special affection for the area. While we’re extremely glad we moved here (God led us to a fantastic church congregation), we’d also really like to be in a nicer spot. The only problem is that this sort of depends on goal #4:
4. Get a job at an animation studio by September 18, 2010.
That just happens to be my last day at DreamWorks Animation in 2009. Hopefully in 2010 I’ll be in the editorial department at either Pixar, Disney Animation, or DreamWorks Animation. I’d be grateful for any of them (though my heart lies with Pixar).
5. Run a marathon by late October.
This gives me roughly nine months to train. Piece of cake! :) Now to choose a marathon to run…
6. Shoot another stop-motion film by November.
For Christmas, Brooke got me a great book on stop-motion animation, powerful software for making stop-motion films, and some clay. While I’m not quite up to speed on the clay (is it some form of new technology?), I really enjoyed making Franklin the Sailor!, and am excited about making another stop-motion film. Thanks for the gifts, Brooke! :)
7. Bench 200 pounds by December 31.
I’ve gotten reasonably close to this goal, and it’s possible that at some point I was even strong enough to do it (though I never really tried). Well this year, I’m going to make it happen. And I’m going to try to do all of my training on Wii Fit. Confused? So am I. We’ll see how the first month goes.
8. Share the Gospel all year.
While I often speak about the importance of actually sharing the gospel, I’ve never really done it intentionally. I’ve had a number of small situations thrust upon me, and of course of myriad of opportunities, but I’ve only once in my memory offered to share the gospel with someone – and I didn’t follow-through with it. This is not for lack of motivation or understanding. Even fear is not the primary reason behind my failure to share the message of Christ. I suppose it’s really just a lack of making it a priority. Jimmy Allen once told his class that when he is around people, he sees walking dead, for so many are lost. This may be a bit extreme, but there’s a lot of truth to it. I want to see how God sees, to really feel the need to help those who are lost, to tell them the Good News they so desperately need to hear. “Business? Mankind was my business!” – Jacob Marley, A Christmas Carol. May I not forget that.
So this post turned out to be lengthy after all. My apologies. But thank you for reading.
Hopefully when I look back upon 2010, I will have met all of these goals, and they will be like the Ebenezers of old: standing stones along the path of life, declaring “Thus far has the LORD helped us.”
Praise be to God for another year in which to serve Him.
Amen.
– d.m.c.
A Time for Joy.
Though there are many reasons for concern in our present world, the thought has occurred to me more and more of late that as a Christian, I really don’t have to worry about any of it. It’s not the point of living, of being God’s servant.
Life is so much more than the battles and concerns of Man – and in many ways, life is what we make it. If we choose to have a positive attitude and a heart that needs to follow God and nothing more, then those former concerns seem to matter little, and fade into the background, just as they should.
After all, it is Christmas! A time for laughter, family, and friends. A time for stamping our feet in the cold to warm them as we bustle about the storefronts, seeking the perfect gift to light up the eyes of a loved one. A time for all of the best in life to come to the surface, and a time to remember the small Child that gave us hope so many years ago.
I wish I had the skill to put it more eloquently. But I believe I know someone who does.
As has been my tradition during this festive time, I have begun reading A Christmas Carol – and as always I am struck by the beauty and wit of the writing. Every time I read the small tome, I especially find Fred’s small speech during his debate with Scrooge to be wonderfully on the mark, and nearly applaud like Bob Cratchit by the end:
“There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,” returned the nephew. “Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round – apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that – as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!”
Amen. May we walk about this season with glad hearts, generous hands, and a loving word upon our lips. May we follow in the example of the One whose name the season bears, and pray to follow Him more closely throughout the New Year. And may God bless us. Everyone.
Merry Christmas.
- d.m.c.
LOST (and found).
As you may or may not know, my time at DreamWorks Animation came to an end about six weeks ago. I was hired as a ‘temp’, and always knew that day would come – and because I knew, I had prepared for it by talking to HR and interviewing for two other positions at the company. So my time came to an end, and I drove homeward to begin waiting for the results from those interviews. Unfortunately, through strange hiring practices and the closing of one of the positions, I wasn’t re-hired by DreamWorks, and home I sat.
Whilst sitting, I received a call from M2G Media, the company I had worked with before going to DreamWorks. They wanted me back, and this time, as a full-time employee. But there was a catch: I had to commit for at least a year. No more applying to jobs, no taking (what would hopefully be) sweet offers from bigger companies.
A conundrum, to be certain.
Because my DreamWorks fate had yet to be decided, they agreed to take me back on a project basis for the time being. And so I set to work – not only on their project, but frantically searching for better work before my time ran out and I had to make a decision on staying with M2G. Somewhere along the line, while clicking websites and submitting resumés, and idea dawned on me: I’m a member of the Editors Guild. That means I have contact information for every major editor in Hollywood. Why don’t I ask them if they need anybody?
It was worth a shot. I traded typing resumés for typing e-mails and scouring job sites for scouring IMDb. I e-mailed the editors of all of my favorite shows: the latest Star Trek movie, the Spider-Man trilogy, Pixar films, Disney films, The Big Bang Theory, and yes, LOST. When the dust settled, I had sent more than 12 e-mails to the top editors in Hollywood. And you know what’s strange?
Most of them responded.
Not with job offers, mind you. But they responded nonetheless, thanking me for the compliments, telling me they were all crewed up for now, giving me advice on when to check back again. A couple even told me they’d keep me in mind for the future, and one asked for a resumé to keep on file. I was making progress. But one editor in particular told me I could come up and observe what he does almost anytime. And it just so happens that he cuts for a little show called LOST.
And so I found myself sitting in an edit bay on the Disney lot, watching a master at work.
It was an unassuming edit bay, certainly not the stuff of hit network dramas. Oh, it was big; but it wasn’t fancy, or dimly lit, or in a nice building. It was just one of a few such rooms on the floor (which also happened to contain the editing rooms for FlashForward). But still, this was where the magic happened. Where the raw material became LOST.
The editor was not only excellent at his job, but also as a teacher. He talked me through everything that he did, always stopping to answer my questions, and occasionally to discuss the industry and impart years of editing wisdom. It was one of the (for lack of a better word) coolest experiences I’ve had out here, and ranks right up with the time that I sat and listened outside an edit bay on the Paramount lot where the new Star Trek movie (or a trailer for it, I’m not quite sure) was being cut.
Oh yeah, and I also got to see some of what happens in the final season of LOST! Did you know that -
Sorry, can’t tell you. :)
I’ve had a lot of neat experiences (and I’m actually going back to LOST today), but not a lot of offers. Time’s running out, and I have to tell M2G Media something probably by the end of this week – and at this point, I don’t think I really have a choice but to take the job. This job hunt has raised a lot of questions. Am I being selfish by wanting a job in the industry, when M2G has offered me a well-paying position? Have I forgotten my goal of using film for God? Should I stop focusing on that goal, and instead just try to be His servant in the work environment? Shouldn’t I just be content no matter what the circumstances?
I’ve been looking for a good job since March of 2008; it’s been a long 20 months, and I’ve finally been offered a well-paying editing position. It’s just not exactly what I was hoping for. Maybe my heart’s not in the right place.
This is going to require a lot of prayer.
- d.m.c.