iDay: it’s a beautiful day

29 June, 2007 will be a day which will always hold significance to me, but not for the reasons you might expect.

As anyone who’s been reading my site for the past six months knows, I’ve got a serious case of iPhone fever. I’m totally obsessed with it, and plan on buying one as soon as I am able to. That said, I’m not in line today and I’m not buying one today.

Instead, I’m plunking down $2,650 for the 5% seat confirmation deposit for the Vancouver Film School. It’s been a really tough month for me. That’s a little bit less than what I make in a month before rent and bills, and I only had one month from getting accepted to raise that money. I worked a lot of overtime, survived on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and didn’t even know how much money I’d end up with after taxes. I’ve still got to get a payday loan to cover rent for July.

But the important thing is that I did it: I raised the money I needed to raise for film school. Today was the deadline, and I met it. There was a lot riding on meeting it, too. I was accepted into VFS with a $4,000 scholarship on the condition that it would only apply to the class starting in March 2008. If I missed this deadline, I would not have been able to reserve my seat in class, and I would have lost the scholarship. And to myself, it meant the difference between being someone who says they’re willing to do whatever it takes to grasp their dreams, and someone who actually does it.

I’ve wanted to go to this film school in particular since I was 20 years old. I’m 27 now. When I start, I’ll have just turned 28. I’ll be graduating on my birthday. (Or as close as it gets to my birthday, since I don’t get one that year.) I’m going to film school. I’m going to film school!

Now all that’s left is raising my credit score 98 points so that I can qualify for a student loan by myself. (i.e. without a co-signer) However I anticipate it raising 80-120 points once my disputes finish being investigated. (Should be by the end of July.) It looks like I’m going to pull this off!

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Scott Pinzon, who wrote a letter of recommendation for me after I worked for him as a production assistant last summer. I’d also like to thank Stacy Flood, who was my other reference, and has helped me stay encouraged through thick and thin. Wendy Rader put me up for two and a half months when I really needed it, and has been instrumental in keeping me focused and motivated. And to all of my friends and family, my thanks. And I stick my middle finger up to anyone who ever doubted me, or who didn’t believe in me. I win, motherfuckers.

I will always remember 29 June, 2007 as a day that changed my life. I’m sure many people are going to be incredibly happy by the end of the night with their new iPhones, but for me, nothing could make me happier than not getting one today, because it means I get to follow my dreams.

Stay foolish, stay hungry.