Criminitny it's been a while.

Sorry for the amount of time that has passed, faithful reader.  (Mom)

I've been swamped with another writing assignment.  Our first pass at the latest screenplay is finished.  Thank you to everybody who read it, did our reading and put up with us during the two weeks of intense work... I've gained a good 10 pounds from doughnuts, coffee, croissants and apple pie.  (most places make you eat or drink to use their free wi-fi, I drink way too much coffee when we're working and I need to do something with my hands in the down time... hence the pie...)  Anywho... DONE!  All that's left is to wait for notes and begin re-writes!

I have been contemplating my impending new life as a stay at home dad.  There is going to be ample time to continue writing and I am excited that this new phase of my life is about to begin.  I have my writing space set up and it's a cozy place just off the baby's room.  Perfect.  Not to mention, I'm blocks from a cafe that is extremely stroller friendly so I can sit with all the moms and work.

I realized I had fully embraced this whole child rearing thing when I wrote a character who often has a baby sling on or kids running around.  It's the part that I wrote ostensibly for myself.  A part that I'd love to play.  As such, it became a reflection of how I see myself and how I see my life evolving.  I am a big brother, a goofball, passionate, easy going...  I will be a cool dad.  Not "skinny jeans" cool, but rather "strap goggles on my kids when I serve them pancakes because syrup is going to go everywhere" cool.  I will be the guy who has on a baby sling during a game of touch football and doesn't see anything wrong with it.  It's touch football!  What's the worst that could happen?  This world I was co-creating on the page was the world I was envisioning for myself, not just to do it on screen, but actually living it.

My writing partner, the brilliant Ambarish Manepalli - newly minted holder of a French visa... congrats! - let me indulge in this little fantasy.  He actually fed it.  He pushed me to find those moments when the character does "Chris dad stuff."

Looking at this first draft, it's incomplete, but pretty close, which is perfect.