I’m not necessarily a child of the Summer sun. As a matter of fact I tend to bitch my way through mid Spring to mid Autumn about it being too hot and then complain till my ears fall off about it being too cold in late Autumn to early Spring. There are about 2 or 3 weeks of weather in which I feel comfortable throughout the year would be the point I’m trying to make.

This cold snap that’s come out of nowhere is pants really. I can’t feel my feet, my ears are like frozen little pixies stuck to the sides of my head and I’m not even going to get started on the joys of a cold nose.

Mornings are the worst though. I wake up when the alarm goes off at 5 and I’m all snug with my electric blanket on simmer and curled in a knotted cocoon of sheets and comforters and the idea of getting out of bed is not the slightest bit appealing. About the only reason I manage it lately is morning pages on the train.

Thursday’s are hereby known as opinionated editorial day on the morning train to work. There are two older guys who get on the train and have opinions about everything. Same Sex Marriage, Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, what shoes go well with some sequin gold hot pants. I’ve got know idea who they are but every time I see them I instantly think of these two:

I know it’s not mature but I just can’t help it. Today they were discussing aboriginal health care. I’ve got no idea about whether it’s good, whether it’s bad or why it differ’s from the healthcare afforded to the rest of Australia, but Waldorf was quite opinionated about it. When the train pulled in it was packed – it never is here – so they went to a different carriage in search of a seat or a balcony so I never found out what Waldorf was going to do to fix it.

Random people on the train amuse me sometimes. Mostly they annoy me. Who is that perky or awake before 7am to be able to discuss politics or indigenous healthcare reform. I’m still trying to get my brain to function and my eyes to work. Oh I love my glasses by the way, they didn’t take any time at all to get used to.

I’ve found Morning Pages really do set me up for the day. Without them I’m grumpy and tired all day, with them I’m only grumpy and tired in the afternoon. I find random things popping up in them; characters for idea’s I’ve got, or am apparently about to have, work related problems just seem to solve themselves and today I had a small little idea pop it’s head out from behind a lavender bush to suggest maybe if it would be alright, and I wasn’t being disturbed I might like to consider writing a wee short film about a lost leprechaun and his adventures trying to get home. He was kind of cute really. Not feisty at all.

There’s been a slight change to my feature idea Hot Ice that keeps coming up too. I’ve been writing about it constantly and today I decided no matter how hard I try to wedge the characters into the lives – and genders – I want them to be, they have their own mind about some issues. One of which is that it’s no longer featuring a gay love story. One of my characters morphed genders on me this morning around about the time I got to Cowan.

I was slightly annoyed, but I realised I can’t force the character to be anything other than it is. I’ve been forcing one of the characters to be male to fit with my vision of writing Queer Cinema.

I wasn’t really being authentic to the story, nor was I being authentic to the original idea that birthed Hot Ice. It’s taking a little bit of getting used to but Josie is now back in Hot Ice, along with Galen, Aunty Alice and Simon the prick.

I guess it’s ok. It’s really only gone back to the original idea anyway. I guess the point I’m trying to make with this post is that it’s all well and good to try and make a character in my script be something I want but as all writers I’ve ever spoken to will tell you, characters have a mind of their own. Just because I tried to make the character a mountain climber didn’t mean it was ever going to happen.

Long weekend coming up this weekend and I’m hopeful of some writing time. I need to figure out how the hell I’m going to write the short film idea I pitched in my course anyway. Frankly, I’m not all that hopeful of writing it as a 7 to 12 minute short. Don’t tell Tim but I’m actually thinking of coming up with a new one, possibly with a balloon in it, or a poodle.