So I left DWC last month. It was the end of my contract and to be completely honest I couldn't stand the thought of any more paperwork. I'd hit a point where I couldn't learn any more where I was, I was going backwards on my day-to-day duties (completing post production paperwork was my second job in telly and earnt me a whole £200 a week pre-tax) and frankly, I wanted a life outside of Doctor Who.

Unfortunately I've now been out of work for a month as I've been unable to find anything else to do. But, again to be honest, I've not really been looking. For details on what I've been up to please visit my writers blog toriahowell.livejournal.com. I'm not really going to be updating here any longer as this was my telly journal and I'm not currently in telly. Should I go back then I'll start posting here again, keeping the two journals seperate. But I'm kinda over telly. Despite the fabulous wrap party we had (I danced my socks off ... literally, we were using one of the sets and it had plywood floor so I had to take my shoes off or risk falling on my arse a lot).

Um ... so, yeah. No more David. No more Russell and Julie (well, except for the hilarious farewell DVD's that I'm not allowed to show anyone). If anyone sees them at Comic Con then please give me all the gossip. I miss everyone I used to work with and I miss working period. But I've got a lot of DIY to keep me occupied. A lot. Previous owners of the house sucked at DIY and I have to redo a lot of stuff that shouldn't need doing because of it. And of course, the wolf. His latest antics are all up on my other journal. So hope to see you there.

I'm sure I've got this right ... I think. I'm hoping that today is tomorrow in Oz so happy birthday in_the_bottle!

but in case I'm wrong then close your eyes and don't look back here til tomorrow ;)

happy (belated) birthday prchung!

Hope you had a fab day, sorry I missed it x

happy birthday suzvoy!

Hope you have a fab day x

Carbs/Calories: Hhhhmmm, bowl of cereal, Crunchie, Fruesli Bar, 2 slices of toast dripping with butter (mmmmmm), a tuna roll, 2 packets of crisps, another Crunchie and a packet of Cheddars - no wonder I'm not so hungry now!
Caffeine: Three cuppas and a couple of cans
Wolf ate: More recycling, his own poo (I know, he's banned from licking my face ever again), his tinned food (already opened and now empty, he has a very long tongue), 3 towels, the other wedge sandal and some crumpets (he is a British dog afterall)
Number of hours I spent trying to beat the computer at Solitaire: Um ... two? Don't ask how many games that equates to, I'm still in denial
Watching: Medium, Season 4 (I think)

--it! I've got to be on set tomorrow morning for around 8am, ha ha! I'm going to be interviewing Michelle, ha ha! And have just been told that I'll be doing DM cos he practically directs himself so Gill's not gonna bother coming to set, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!! And wolf has just managed to clock me in the face good and I have multiple scratches! Great! Love it! I'm hoping hysteria is a good look for me ... I think I need to go to bed now if I'm going to be out the door by 0730 complete with walked wolf, washed hair, heavy make-up to cover the abuse and still make it on time. Still, on-set breakfasts are heaven on earth so there's something to look forward to!

Ooh and on a normal work front: I completed a PasC today that was the nicest, the easiest PasC in the world. Ever. It took me a couple of hours to log all the shots (by eye as, once again, we had no EDL* or timeline**) and count up the actors total durations and the episode durations. I'd already listed all the actors and copyright the day before, again all of a couple of hours worth of work. Of course, it was only a ten minute long piece but, boy, did it feel good! Unfortunately Christmas needs to be done a second time due to changes in the DVD version. I'm trying to pretend that I don't know about that because if I think about it I'll start crying.

* Edit Decision List - literally a list of edits by the timecode they appear at ... I should post one so you guys can see it. Fairly indecipherable unless the editor calls the clips something rather than the tape number, and even then it can be confusing!

** Timeline - literally the edit laid out on a timeline. Very helpful if you can coerce someone to help you with the paperwork. They sit on the timeline, jumping to each cut and yelling timecode and programme, you list on the paperwork and then either go back and list the actors or attempt to do it at the same time. Depending on the length of the programme can take days

Carbs/Calories: I've been eating beef stew for a week, with homemade dumplings ... does that answer the question? Caffeine: Piddly today. Two cups of tea, got distracted by final ep of Torchwood Number of hours I spent doing actual work: At a push, one. I rock! Wolf ate: Several bananas and my wedge sandals (my hardly worn wedge sandals!). He only stopped there cos I've taken the afternoon off to clean Watching: I'm done with Torchwood, back to Twilight Parental visit imminent in: Roughly two and a half hours (eek!)

So final ep of TW3, bit of a shock. And that should be difficult given I first read the scripts last year. Yuppers, they changed the ending ever so slightly and it's a shocker. Riley and I sat there with identical WTF faces, it was quite amusing in hindsight. Definitely not what we were expecting. Don't worry, that's all I'm gonna say.

Booked a haircut online (ain't tech great?) for next Sat. Hoping that crazy hair is contributing to build up of static electricity I seem to be suffering with. On the plus side others are sharing the pain with me whenever I touch them, heh.

I haven't even started cleaning the house yet and there's dog pee all over the kitchen floor. I washed that yesterday. He chose the one thing that was fine and ruined it. Again. I don't think my wolf is any ordinary dog, I think he's a werewolf with a grudge. Cos he's waaay too smart to be just a dog. Oh my god, does that mean that the next full moon the huge scratches I've got across my face will suddenly start sprouting hair? Will I start baying at the moon (more than usual)? Will this vendetta that he seems to've started continue when we're both wolves?? Watch this space!

Carbs/Calories: Lots: 1 pizza, 1 cheese roll, several chocolate digestives, 2 packets of crisps, 1 Crunchie, 1 Toffee Crisp, 2 slices of toast, 1 bar of Ikea chocolate ... why am I still hungry?? Caffeine: Numerous cups of tea. In an effort to spread the joy I even made RTD a cuppa today Number of hours I spent doing actual work: Hhhhmmm ... two? Wolf ate: My thermals, again, a candle, a telephone wire, my last biro and RIP the Liberty Elephant from a couple of days ago Watching: Torchwood Weather: Other than swimming instead of walking the dog, we're just peachy up here.

I simply could not face doing more paperwork today. I tried, I really did. But realising that half the programme still needed its actors listed, and they were all Classic actors I went and made more tea instead. And then I hit upon the most excellent plan ever; watching the offline locked copies of the new TW3 series. Which is actually part of my job, just not as currently urgent as the seriously overdue paperwork. Particularly as it's five hours worth of telly that I shouldn't really be watching when there's more important things to do. But fuck it! I thought, if the bosses wanna go to Dubai and leave us to it then I'll damn well take the day off the paperwork (particularly as I worked the last two weekends at home on it too!). Well, I only managed to watch four due to the late start, extra long lunch break and the odd interruptions - tea making is a serious business. I loved the scripts. I loved the visit to see the 456 build (well, I liked the visit, just not the journey). I thought I'd love the episodes. ( Read more )

Carbs/Calories: Not enough, it's freezing! So I've started on the dark chocolate digestives in the hope I get to eat some before the dog steals them all! Caffeine: 1 cup of tea so far, due to rise precipitously very shortly Number of hours it's spent snowing: At least 18, must be. And it's still going Wolf ate: 4 (yes, count them, FOUR) toffee crisps. more bedroom carpet, my thermals and a lot of snow Watching: Being Human, yes, there does appear to be a vampire trend going on in my life right now Weather: Blizzard conditions, heading rapidly towards a white-out out there. Wolf and village kids loving it.

Yes, I have been snowed in! Whoop! A work free snow day, can't get better than that. Two inches fell overnight and more snow is currently falling. The wolf is ecstatic. Peeps at work yesterday suggested sledging in today, funny guys. So I'm going to spend the day trying out tester paints, making the soap I was supposed to make last weekend, finally doing the washing up and maybe watching a movie or two. Poor Hannah had to attend a shoot this morning as we were interviewing DM, she lives another 20 mins or so north of me and on slightly higher ground. I just text her to say get out whilst she still can and judging from text reply the questions have probably become rapid-fire and David will be having to talk even faster than normal.

In other work news, Ian is a cock and has (once again) screwed up logging the episode I am now incredibly behind delivering the paperwork for. So I am (once again) having to fix his mistakes. Which meant working all weekend. Which makes me very very angry. Not sure I'm going to last the next four months without killing him or anyone else. Watch this space (and National news bulletins).

Wolf is still driving me insane. He gets so excited if he can see people outside that he runs around and moans a lot. He's had an hour this morning but because the village kids are in the field opposite with sleds, he's going batshit and running in and out the back garden in an effort to go join them. Otherwise, he's actually getting a bit better.

Village news: I have two new friends. Sue and Joanne. Sue lives on the high street and has a little terrier mix puppy called Owen who loves playing with the wolf. His head is so small that the wolf can put his jaws around it. Owen retaliates by grabbing a mouthful of fur on the wolf's flank and just hangs off it whilst the wolf runs around. It's brilliant!

Joanne lives around the corner with her Italian boyfriend, Carlo. They have a 12 year old dog of indeterminate breeding called Luke. Joanne and I regularly walk the two mutts together as we're both new to the area and know very few people. She's a year younger than me and we get on really well. Between Sue and Joanne and the old geezers from the top field I feel like I'm really settling in here. There's nothing funnier than an early morning walk with retired pensioners who swear their heads off and tell you all the tales of their misbegotten youth! Although they're all crap at weather forecasting, they laughed when I told them it was going to start snowing again this morning. Hah! That'll teach you to listen to the girl!!

Carbs/Calories: Two packets of Worcester Sauce French Fries and a packet of Mini Cheddars Caffeine: 4 cups of tea and a can of coke. Stoopid Training Courses Attended: Why, when I don't drive for work, do I have to attend a driving course?! Wolf ate: Plastic chopping board, 2 tin cans, packaging on a candle, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire DVD, my backup mobile phone (after he ate the first one) and wallpaper from the hallway Watching: Twilight, possibly for the third time this weekend Weather: Wet and wetter. Ground has actually defrosted and my normally white and silver wolf comes back from morning walks brown. Comments about the New Doctor: Do people not understand the term 'National Secrets Act'?

Don't get me started on the driving course, poor new boy Matt got the full force of miffed-me today and is now a little scared of me.

( Ooh, Easter Special spoiler anyone? )

( Aaaand on to the list of lust places 11-20 )

Carbs/Calories: Absolutely none because I've been too lazy to go food shopping Caffeine: 4 cups of tea and counting (faaabulous!). Phonecalls from London: All programmes have now been delivered and transmitted so none, whoop! Although my name wasn't on yesterday's programme, damn them! Wolf ate: more carpet by the front door, two plastic plant pots and a partridge in a pear tree (it's not Christmas anymore so he's allowed) Playing: The Force Unleashed Weather: Fuckin' freezin'! Hasn't really gone above zero since I moved here. Comments about the New Doctor: None to make, sorry peeps!

I don't really have much to post, it's all things that have gone wrong with the house (bad wiring, bad drains, bad plumbing, bad radiators, bad decision to buy?) so I decided to put together a lust list based on crystalkirk who has, in turn, stolen it from others too.

Ground Rules: Name your Top 20 List Of Lust, in no particular order. Your neighbor or school teacher doesn't count. The list can be male, female or mixed. They can be real life celebrities or characters in a movie or TV show. For example, you might want to gag Mariska Hargitay, while still lusting after Butchy McFabulous Olivia Benson. Tag 5 people on your flist to do this meme. ... I'm going to tag anyone who wants to join in.
(I've been dying to use this icon for months!)
( List of Lust under the cut .... )

Carbs/Calories: 2 packets of crisps and 3 chocolate digestives (not bad) Caffeine: 4 cups of tea and a bottle of coke (faaabulous!). Phonecalls from London: 6 (not bad) Wolf ate: wii instruction manual, brand new tin opener still in its packaging, 2 pizza wrappings (thankfully without the pizza in them) Watching: Lost in Austen Weather: Pissing it down

Work: ( There's always something prettier to do ... )

Fame: ( Don't you hate script editors? )

Eye Candy of the day: Callum Keith Rennie. ( If you don't believe the pretty just click the clicky ... )

House: Two weeks to go! Two weeks to goooooo! Contracts were exchanged on Friday, completion date is set for the 1st and then I shall be home, sweet home. I can't wait!!

Random: I got so thirsty and began craving a coke so much whilst walking the wolf that I stopped outside Tesco's in the Bay and asked the security guard to buy me a drink (with my money obviously). And he did. Soaking wet in a coat a sex too big for you (it's a man's coat) obviously pulls at older men's heart strings ;)

I can't believe it's been that long since I last posted. I should explain that that's not because I've been busy buying a house and a wolf whilst putting a series to bed, organising two more series' and getting involved with charity filming (I can blag like you wouldn't believe!). It's pure laziness so I apologise.

So, yes, I've bought a house. We should be exchanging contracts tomorrow and we complete on the 1st December. I can't wait to move, the beige walls of the flat have become a symbol of the lack of creativity in my personal life. So I'm frantically scribbling story ideas whilst nicking elements from various other places/ people. Callum Keith Rennie for example. I love that man. I'd have his babies if he'd let me. His likeness is going to be appearing in the story ... should I ever write it. I have a feeling it may go the way of the other dozen of story ideas I have filed away. I'm hoping that during the month of December, which I'm having off and not answering my phone, I will be able to find the time to write some stuff. I'm afraid, however, that the lure of DIY might prove too great. We shall see.

In what I can only assume are attempts to help reduce the need for packing, the wolf has ripped, torn, chewed and eaten his way through 3 pairs of socks, a bra, a book (twice, as in the same book twice), several letters including one from my solicitor, my landlady's beautiful embroided satin bedspread (as in the landlady who doesn't know I have a dog), his appointment cards from the vet, my mobile phone, my duvet, a brand new jumper and finally, today, the buttons off my favourite cardigan. Cesar Milan has a lot to answer for.

Series 4 is all paid for apart from the man who owns the monster. Well, actually if you want to quibble that man is dead so it's his agent/ Estate that's still waiting to be paid. All because the agent can't be arsed to sign and return the contracts. Apparently he's still owed money from the Series 3 box set cos he's that lazy. I would've thought that several thousand pounds would be welcome news but apparently not everyone has that view.

Christmas is in the bag and all over the cutting room floor. It's fab and I love it. A rollicking good ride, assuming they don't fuck it up. The charity piece from set will be aired on Friday. The new series will be on the DVD boxsets only (not the new series of the main show, a different show - the one from France? About the magician? That one? Remember? Geez, pay attention!) The grown up spin off wraps soon (and are those scripts fab or what?!). And then, next year, we're back in action all over again. Cardiff isn't Cardiff without DM around. But that's a whole other story ....

In an effort to get over the fact that it would still take two weeks to get married, even in Gretna Green (don't ask, I'm not getting married, it's research) I started going through emails I'd sent myself from work ( and came across the below: )

... it wasn't my fault!

The day after the penultimate episode and it seems like many of my friends are declaring their undying hatred of me/ to me/ of the main show. Because, obviously, it's all my fault ;) Those friends that I work with hate me as I've just returned from holiday and am planning a trip to NY next month. That's too many holidays for one person to take apparently.

Personally, I'm just chiling and enjoying the novelty of my tan. I didn't know that I still could. I haven't been in the sun long enough to get a tan since I was 16. It helped, though, that the temperature in Italy was 36-40 odd degrees each day and that I was staying in a small stone cottage half way up a mountain with nothing but books, books and a pool to amuse me (oh, and my parents and two of their friends, but that doesn't really count). I've never had a holiday where I just sat round a pool reading for 80% of my time away. I have now. And Cortona was fab, I had the best mocha I've ever drunk anywhere, ever.

But what made the holiday was the fact that the view from our terrace overlooked the vast plain below us, ringed on the left by foothills and flanked by mountains. The very mountains and foothills that Hannibal marched his elephants from and kicked Roman arse to annihilation. That made my week that did.

I should apologise for not being online recently, please blame Gerard Butler. I finally got around to watching the DVD of Phantom that Juha kindly sent me and totally fell in love with him. Raoul who? Please, even with the mask off, I'd do him. And then, a couple of days later, as I browsed the DVD selection at Tescos I discovered that PS I love you was out and on a whim bought it as I'd missed it at the cinema thanks to boss from hell. Fell in love with him all over again. It has since become my personal mission to watch as many of his films as possible. I even re-visited the 300 although, much to my dismay, my love for him does not extend to that film (still) but remains fixed on Daisy Wenham in that particular instance. But I recommend Timeline. It has plot holes a mile wide but for sheer entertainment value and gorgeous shots of Gerry it's a must see!

... I've been waiting for this to happen since Lizzie's wedding in November. Whilst visiting my new nephew and other family members last weekend my mother began plotting with Jo, my sister's Maid of Honour, to sign me up for mysinglefriend.com (or pimp your best friend as I call it). They arranged for Jo to return to Mum's on friday night to drink champagne, eat spag bol and write my profile, which they then duly published with the name of the production that I work on slap bang in the middle of their rambling. I, of course, panic, ask them to remove it and discover they can't ... so they start again. I then discover I have to write a comment about what they wrote (please, kill me now!).

So! The purpose of this post is a plea for help. Because I don't have time to do my washing let alone go on a date but that's not an answer they'll accept. So I'm writing the damn comment but am coming up with crap. If you can do better then please comment! ( Profile and comment under the cut )

happy birthday in_the_bottle!

Hope you have a fab day x

... the crazy ride known as life, little Noah Michael Bennett. Born 15:28 today, 7lbs, 6oz, he didn't make it easy as he came out face down. But he's here and may life treat him well. I'm off to meet him on Saturday and am so excited I'm vibrating!

Whilst I'm afraid I still haven't really got time to post all the drama, I've just had a really good evening that's made me forget for two whole hours the general shittiness of the past four and a bit weeks since we started transmitting. No, my sister's not given birth (but remind me to tell you about my dream last night sometime) ... at least she hadn't when I called them at 8pm before I had to turn my phone off but she is in labour. At some point over the next god knows how many hours I'm going to be an Auntie! Yay!

And I'm really really sorry was_scott and jen_the_genie but I didn't get a chance to ask DM about the thing with the thing on thingy. I was too busy trying to hide how happy I was to've graduated to a peck on the cheek when he saw me (he's very polite, not telly at all when it comes to greetings, and all previous meetings have been just the handshake).

And whilst the last two hours weren't anywhere near as giggly as the last record I went to back in August 2007 (mostly because we were actually in the same room and couldn't make a noise) I still had tremendous fun. Makes me rather glad Han's pregnant (we sent her home so she wouldn't have to work so late) because it meant I got to go ... although I did have visions of my phone ringing part way through with the phonecall, heh.

I'd also like to do a lap of honour for meeting the two week from transmission deadline I have for my post production paperwork. Eps 1 & 2, 45 & 15 minute version PasCs (remember those hideous things?) and MRF (Music Reporting Form) not to mention the worldwide version PasC and MRF have all been completed on time. Ep 3 is due friday, and that's the one I'm worried about cos I've got Friday off to go see James Marsters (he of the flirting) in concert in London before heading up to St. Evenage to see my sister and new baby. Can't wait!

Not only is it my brother's birthday today AND DM's (but I'm not celebrating him as I didn't get an invite to his party, boo) but more importantly:

happy birthday prchung!

I have a whole host of drama to post about ... but I'll do that once I get the energy (and finish series 3 of Farscape)

... and I don't really have anything interesting to post. Just a catch up really on what's been happening which has mostly been frantic running around in preparation for this coming Saturday as we head into 13 weeks of hell. It's going well so far, we're ahead of schedule and have several episodes already finished and ready for the button to be pushed.

I've just finished logging Ep 2 of ours (both versions), Ep 1 was done today at work which means PasCs here I come (meh!). My Production Secretary has decided to leave us which leaves me with all the paperwork for which I was decidedly not ready! And Scottie, lovely Scottie, is leaving us for bigger and better paid jobs in Drama so we have no walking Classic Series dictionary any more. We've warned him he'll be kidnapped every weekend for the next 13 weeks to help me out (that didn't go down so well), or failing that will be receiving many phonecalls pleading for help identifying clips.

We finished filming Series 4 today. Yes, Ladies & Gentlemen, the last series for a while has now finished ... apart from some pick-ups maybe. We're all off to the cinema tomorrow night for the cast and crew screening of episodes 1 & 2, can't wait to see them on the big screen given how awesome the trailer looked. And I can honestly say that Episode 1 is my favourite season opener to date, just you wait and see!

What else? Um ... apart from the panic work is ticking over as per normal. Nothing interesting to report (hence the lack of posts). Sister is due to give birth this month and has so far consisted of phonecalls detailing pregnancy in a way they never tell you til it's too late to do anything about it. Scott and Gary are moving flats on Saturday to my side of the Bay. I have to sell my car before my osteopath kills me. I hate the fact the clocks have changed as it's screwed up my bodyclock like you wouldn't believe. I'm hoping at some point this year I'll actually start writing the Methos story I've been toying with for a decade. Oh, which reminds me! I joined the PWFC again, it's been a decade since I was last a member of Peter Wingfield's fanclub and I have to say it's all pat_t's fault. Yah.

Apologies to suzvoy for missing your birthday on the 14th, I hope you had a fab day. Apologies to anyone else who's birthday I missed. Apologies for missing Easter I was digging my car out of all the snow (but of course, because nothing says Easter quite like a snow storm in England!). Apologies all round for anything else I may have forgotten. And especially to in_the_bottle for not sending the poster yet; I got all excited because I remembered to buy a cardboard tube the other week only to discover yesterday that it's too small for the poster. I'll get there. Promise.

Did I cover everything? ...