dreams of anti-fame

I was reading about the dreams of aspiring screenwriters who want to make it big in Hollywood... as well as some money figures of what some screenplays sell for - even the ones that's don't get made. And to be completely honest, those figures I saw, even the so-called "modest" amounts, looked quite alright with me. But between that and reading an article about a soon-to-be-watched documentary called Dreams on Spec, I read some line about struggling to be "the next big thing." And I thought that line... and it got me thinking-I don't necessarily want to be the next big thing. I just want to be something. I indeed, want to be successful and content, but I don't want the glitz and glam. I'm still going to shop at The Mart and eat at IHOP. But, perhaps, I think it all depends on your definition of success. Anyway, I was stuck on the phrase "next best thing" and jotted some lines down as I thought about it.

I don't want to be the next big thing.
I just want to be something.
Not just anything, but a mix of everything.
They'll say "He's doin' his thing."

I'm completely aware that being a screenwriter isn't a profession that would make me an instant multi-millionaire (unless I'm directing, starring, etc.), but I just want to get by. Not only that, I just want to be really good at it too. So I continue my learning and studying. I haven't been aggressive in this passion the past few days due to some other concerns (like vacation planning), but rest assured, my dream won't be deterred. Oooh! Another hot line! [Scribbles in notebook.]

black history blogging here and there

Being a Black American, I didn't forget that this is Black History Month. How can I? My own personal feelings might be a bit conflicting, since I believe Black history should be celebrated all year round because it's made all year round. November 4th, 2008 and January 20th, 2009 anyone? But at the same time, it's nice that we get an entire month to reflect and appreciate great achievements of our African American heroes, legends and events--past and present. And I'm talking about the legends that don't get mentioned as much as MLK, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Frederick Douglas and President Barack Obama. Legends like Thurgood Marshall, Langston Hughes, Frederick Gregory or... dare I say it... Sam Cooke. And events like the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Power Movement or the Greensboro Sit-In (which is typically grouped with the Civil Rights Movement, but still significantly important in Black history as well as being immensely interesting and not as widely discussed).

I wrote some commentaries about some great Black idols of my own. Specifically the screenwriter/director/actor idols. It wasn't an easy list to make, but talking about why I chose them and think they are great or deserve some attention was easy to do. Melvin Van Peebles was first on that list, even though I think most of this generation might be more familiar seeing his son, Mario.

Anyway, a friendly screenwriting teacher known as Jaden is the one that provoked my written opinions about the subject, and offered me to be a guest contributor this month on her blog! My first thoughts were... "Me? Just a mere blogger and novice movie guru? On your resourceful site with tons of readers?" It is indoob humbling. Despite my few years of writing and performing for an audience, it's a feeling I don't think I'll ever get used to. I accepted the offer and picked four African American auteurs in cinema. There are more, and it's a list I'm striving to be on someday. But for the time being, these are some people that I aspire to be like.

But enough of my babbling, head on over to Screenwriting For Hollywood and appreciate my aspirations with me. I didn't "advertise" my posting over there partly because I forgot, so I'm doing it now. But thanks again to Jaden for furthering me and the Indoob brand out into the blogosphere and Internet world. Make sure you stick around her blog past February, she has a lot of wisdom and knowledge to dispense whether you are screenwriting for Hollywood or not.

bring on the bitter romance, baby!

Valentine's Day is upon us. I remember way back in my youth reading in a Highlights magazine that St. Valentine had nothing to do with love or romance whatsoever. I don't feel like Wikipedia-ing right now to find out his story... but perhaps this was one of the first holidays that people say was created by greeting card companies. And, my oh my, do they make a killing. Not that anyone doubts this, but the proof is seen at stores like Wal-Mart, CVS, Walgreens, Hallmark... any store that houses these cards. What will you find? Crowds of last-minute-men scrambling to find the perfect card--or any card--for their special lady friend.

The florists and chocolatist get this treatment too. And it's not just V-Day, but Mother's Day I see this happen too. But we'll wait until May to talk about that.

This holiday's mascot is probably officially Cupid of Roman mythology. I've done my homework on this dude since he became the focus of a trilogy screenplay I had been working on, but I since took a break for other creative interests. But I've been thinking about creating a character to counter Cupid. A Grinch or Scrooge to Valentine's Santa, if you will. Naturally, at the end of his story, this cynical, malice-filled caricature would probably discover the true meaning of Valentine's Day by the night's end... or maybe the night before... and change his ways thanks to a caring woman who made his heart grow three sizes that day. Or maybe Cupid will stab him with a magical pitch fork.

I could totally take it to an adult themed story line and tie in Victoria's Secret marketing. Out anti-hero will discover a different ending that night. Yeah, you know what I'm talking about.

But on a personal level, I'm feeling rather apathetic this year. Most of my friends already have someone they'd call a Valentine. And the ones that don't... Well, wouldn't it be nice to get all these bitter singles together to just hate on love and say how overrated romance is? Some hooking up might happen in the process, but they'd be promptly kicked out.

This year, I could go either way. I can look at the lovey-dovey side, or the "this holiday sucks" side. I don't care. And yes that means that at the time being, I am Valentine-less. But no weepy tears for me. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, the day hasn't yet arrived so anything can happen.

I have my favorite past Valentine memories to reflect on though. The double Valentines at Purchase. The Casablanca viewing Valentine. Heh-heh... yeah... Sorry. Okay, so those are only two memories... but they were great and I will plead the fifth as to why and what happened. Good times, indoob.

Anyway, be sure to stay tuned this week as I do the best I can to keep my posts holiday themed. I have had a reputation of being a romantic, so I can't let those people down. Yet, at the same time, I find the thought of being the anti-romantic intriguing. Maybe we'll call this alter ego Syd the Cynic. So join in on the bittersweet holiday that so many people love to hate, or hate because they get no love. Or both.

ready to read about writing right: "how to write a movie in 21 days"

The truth about me is pretty sad: I'm practically an anti-reader. It's true for a lot of people I know, they have a hard time picking up a book. I don't have a hard time picking one up, I just have difficulties opening it. Then, the chances that I do open it, it's finishing it. That's why I think it was such a big deal that I finished reading Watchmen. But I can hear critics saying now that that isn't considered a real book. Well, I beg to differ. It made it on the top 100 novels and it's the only graphic novel on there. Sure, it's mostly pictures, but you really can't figure out what's going on without reading it.

Anyway, you know you are a sad reader when your friends have to mail you books to read. Peopel can suggest books to you all day, but when it's hand delivered to you by your local postman, then perhaps it's time to read the words cover to cover.

Granted, I still haven't finished Our Uncle Sam by Erik Greene... but I say that's a wee bit different. I started reading that because our cable went out before I decided to pop in a DVD. Again, I know... I'm a sad reader. I've been tryin' to told ya!

So my friend, whom I dub as my "cinematic soul mate" (and I could write an entire post about, but I'm not going to but will thank her for this book and a birthday card she stuck in it), sent me Viki King's How to Write a Movie in 21 Days. Hopefully I can read it in at least 7. If I'm not mistaken, I think she wants this book back, so I will get my reading on so I can ship it back to her ASAP whilst I look into buying my own copy. Or buy her a brand new one since I'm too lazy to ship anything myself that can't fit into a envelope. I have no shame.

By receiving this book, I think it means it's time for me to head back to the "studio" to start penning a script. February just began. In my dream world, perhaps I'll wriet a script every month. Hey, I'm a firm believer in making my dreams come true, so if I could write a script every month... Good googamooga! Of course I'd come back to them a month later to tweak and tweak until I see no more need for tweaking until others say so. I haven't forgotten my mentors Mrs. Rogers and Jaden, plus countless tips I pick up from various trusted sources.

But first, I must read. That's one piece of advice I haven't followed that even my idol, Sam Cooke, said to do: read as much as you can. I seriously doubt I can count Wikipedia.

a wonder (and) full weekend

Last week was pretty busy and a little on the rough side for not only me, but my family, church and a few friends. I don't normally get into the person aspects of my life, but I do see the Indoob as somewhat of a documentation. But in retrospect, I must say that some positive things came out of such a long week, and I felt the need to recognize them.

For most of the week, I've been doing some much needed work on my church's website. You can check it out if you want, but as you'll see, I haven't updated it in a long time. It hopefully will be fully updated by Thursday, or Friday. And I'm no pro at web design, I just know the basics and that's all that is. Besides, I'm the only one my dad knows that is capable and I currently work for free.

Thursday, my friend whom I shall codename as "Kitten" (although she probably wouldn't mind if I used her real name) dropped off a gift of appreciation for just being her friend. Internally, I felt like weeping, but really I just don't know how to handle unexpected niceness like that. I think it's a guy thing. Pineapple is my favorite fruit... so...


My first chocolate covered fruit!



And check out this sentimental special note that almost surely brought the tears.

In case you are struggling to make out the words, it says "Thank you for being there for me. You really are the best friend anyone could ever have." She's awesome.

Friday night, the Kitten and I met up with my other best friend whom I've affectionately dubbed "Dearest" and had dinner at a buffet that Kitten and I actually ate at for lunch. So yes, I went to the same buffet twice in the same day. No judging, thanks. Anyway, we met Dearest's boyfriend whom I heard so much about, and now I can officially approve. But the highlight for me was to have two awesome, beautiful women who happen to be the best friends I've had for some time, share a table with me. Another minor note, we seem to share a love for discussing poop. Buy that book, it'd be awesome to see that on a best seller's list. You know you're curious. Anyway, the Dearest mailed me a letter I recieved possibly a couple days late, also telling me how great of a friend I am. Look at the time she put into writing me! This is what I love about my friends... the time they take to show me that care is worth so much more than what money could buy.


Saturday I watched an awesome movie called The Notorious Bettie Page. I knew very little about the real life person, and Jaden at ScreenwritingforHollywood indirectly recommended I look into it. I fell in love with the way the movie was shot, that's the first thing. Secondly, between the actress playing her and Ms. Page herself? Absolutely beautiful. Before the movie was even over I was at my laptop writing up a draft of a treatment to a brand new story this movie inspired. The interesting this it has nothing to do with Betty, pin-up models, or anything that movie dealt with. It really doesn't have a title, but it's about a young man who moves from the city to an old southern country town and converts a run down barn into a makeshift movie theater. I was going to use this set up as a way to showcase several short films that I, or others have written and filmed. But the concept took on a life of it's own as I started fleshing out who this guy was and why he was there and things like that. Honestly, that's my favorite part about storytelling.

I finished with great timing... Kitten wanted to go out to dinner as well as test her car in the snow. I live on a hill so she had trouble getting to my house, but she made it just as I wrote the ending sentence. We ventured out to Friendly's which closed early. Too bad for them.

During service on Sunday, I was happy to see some people hadn't seen in a while. That's always nice. It also struck me, while someone was talking, not to hold grudges which apparently I think I may be doing. So later today, I will fix that error. Nobody's perfect, but if there is something wrong with ourselves that we are aware of, why not get it right?

Afterwards the entire family went out to the Olive Garden--where everyone is family. Good times. Dame (my brother-in-law) told me about an idea that he (and my sister, his wife) had been thinking of for sometime. Basically, he'd like to start a production company with me, mostly to help out around the church but to eventually branch out and help others. I'd take video and graphics duties, while he did mostly audio work like recording and sound production. He's the church's keyboardist and wrote a few songs. So we'd be a dangerous combination. So we chatted about that later that night while also discussing some recently favorited songs, or styles of songs. I'm currently getting into Go-Go music, similar to this:


The night got better with a phone call from not just a best friend, but one I consider a brother-from-another-mother. We chatted for a while, and for once, about me and my life. It was nice to get some of my own drama out even if I hate admitting I have it. But even while I was telling him my story, it came out as a comedy because it made him laugh. Imagine that.

Lastly, one of my newest friends who doesn't have a nickname yet, I chatted with online as we watched the last hour of the Golden Globes. Woot woot for 30 Rock and Tina Fey. I've been strongly recommended to see Slumdog Millionaire and have even been given a website to watch it for free. But I have morals. And if the movie business is something I want to get into, then it's like robbing from myself. It'd be different if it were a legit site, like, Netflix, Hulu or something. But 'twasn't. Yet I do want to see this movie really bad.

Oh, and now Sam is back and fully functional. There's a picture of him being towed away, but I'm too tired to do that right now. There's more than enough links and pictures to make this a fully interactive post, no?

So, my lesson to all is that although things may look bad, they could always be worse. Appreciate everything and reflect on the positive because who wants to sit around being sad and depressed?

is it considered "insomnia" when you're on vacation?

I'm wondering why I'm still awake at this un-ungodly hour (it's almost 7 in the AM)... But then I remembered, I didn't go to sleep the night, or morningish before until about 5 in the AM. Furthermore, I didn't awaken until about 3 in the afternoon. Okay, actually I woke up from about 10 to 10:30 to talk to a friend on one of her breaks... but other than that, I stayed unconscious for most of the daylight hours.

I'm considering this an "unofficial" post because I wanted to do a "Christmas present wrap-up" (wow, that was an unintended pun)... I was going to accompany it with pictures, but you guys know how lazy I am with the pictorials. It's so bad right now, the camera doesn't even have battrees in it. I hope I didn't promise pictures of the snow. It's almost gone. And could you believe the crazy New England weather we're having and about to have? SIXTY DEGREES ON SUNDAY. What the stank is that about?

Anyway, I thought I'd give an update as to how my script is going. It's not. I bought myself an early Christmas present that arrived Christmas Eve. "What could this be?", a curious nosy person might ask. Well, I'll tell you. Remember a couple weeks ago with the first trailer trash post with the last trailer being that of next year's Watchmen? Well sometime after that post until about 3 hours ago, I previewed the original graphic novel, Amazonned it, waited patiently (for once), unboxed it, and read it within 3 days. December 24th to 26th. Technically 4 days, but I slept most of the 26th.

Hey, I just gotta say... That is an awesome story right there. And now I'm ecstatic to see this movie. If there is a midnight showing, I think I may show up to that. I pretty sure I donned some geek points for this too... but whatever. Still not big on comic books, but this one's different. It has an end. AND now I understand why many felt that this comic was unfilmmable. Man... I can't wait to see this.

So due to my reading this, with a mix of holiday festivities, I haven't done much writing. That should hopefully resume tonight (Saturday) or the latest Sunday night. My other issue was getting my CD/DVD drive on ol' Silver to work. I think I broke it somehow when I was trying to burn a multi-disc collection for a friend of mine. This suck worse than spoiled milk already poured into the cereal. I had one disc burnt already, and had 4-5 left to do. I can't explain what happened (partly because I don't know) but I tried everything I can do that doesn't cost money. I already admitted to being a geek, but my skills couldn't crack this problem and that saddens me. I'm considering the Geek Squad. It's where I go when I can't fix something I broke. But it's weird... I can fix other computers... but mine? I'm at a loss.

So I've got one week to do some damage to a script. I'll extend it until January 4th. I kinda can't wait because it was torture listening to Fall Out Boy and not jotting down a few lines... and as we speak I'm finally really listening to The Roots' Rising Down and feeling the rap schemes fall over me. In my head, taking their versus apart in slow motion allowing me to see/hear/understand why their lines/raps/verses are so hot, and how I might possibly be able to write my own. Still a craft I'm honing in on. My goal: to make a reader/hearer's face wrinkle up/frown or make them say "wow" or "whoa" and even "that's [any positive slang]" ...but I also still dig getting my sense of humor in my poetry as well AND telling stories. Perhaps I'll devote March or April to coming up with some really good material.

In the meantime, I must continue to hit the scripts. It's not that I'm creatively stuck. If anything, I'm more inspired to write other things... but with scripts I feel I'm more productive with a plan. I need to have the characters written out first. At least the major ones. I can always add or change some later. I already know "The Writing Retreat" has some weak points in it, but you know what? I'm not worried about that right now. I just need it "complete" then I will do some tightening. I also have been assembling a team of readers. I have 2 and a possible 3rd who would probably be interested.

Anyone else interested in giving me critical critiquing of some scripts I've worked or working on, let me know and I be sure to send you what I have looking for some honest advice. I won't be sending anything until January... so there isn't a rush. Well, not for you.

I think I'm feeling sleep come on. I think I will "nap" since I think I'm going to get a phone call at 9 or 10 this morning to hang out. And I actually want to go places tomorrow like maybe dine at IHOP for the last time until the new one close to home opens and price shop a Mac at an Apple store. Yes yes y'all!

i'd like a new window for Christmas

I was going to post something last night on Christmas Eve Eve, but I guess Christmas Eve isn't that bad either.

Anyway, I just want to wish all Indoobians, friends, family, strangers and strange-looking people alike a Merry Christmas. For those that don't celebrate Christmas... I can't help you. I jest! I jest! I'll just say the traditional Happy Holidays and Season's Greetings. The list of "other holidays" steadily gets longer every year, so I will refrain from saying any of them except for the one I celebrate. Deal?

And for those who are just begging to know what kept me from posting last night... it's a long story that I'll shorten by saying the ice/snow melting from my room is causing the window in my room to leak. Badly. I've already soaked up 10 man-sized beach towels--and that's only from the water I caught. It doesn't help that it won't stop raining until tonight... so... yeah...

I'd also like a new CD drive... I think I broke mine playing with iTunes... I can fix other people's computers, but mine? Totally clueless. I'm going to try again sometime in a few days.

I even managed to clean my room and do ALL my laundry. When I mean all, I mean I was down to the new underwear I hadn't broken into yet, and possibly #65 pair 'o socks. Hey, it's my goal to have 365 pairs of socks some day. So at least that will be it's own laundry day. Sock Day! Yes!

But all of this has kept me from staying on the good track I was on. I was up to 23 pages on "The Writing Retreat" and had stopped to sleep, but then if it wasn't one thing, it was another. The CD burner, the window, visiting with family, Christmas... So much to do, so little time.

I jest of course, I didn't plan to do much of anything on Christmas Day other than familizising (yeah, try pronouncing that one!) and that's always fun for us. Between the gift giving, the food and the general good times, it's what I love about the holidays. Then again, I just love my family and cherish anytime I get to spend with them. I guess that goes for my dearest friends too... but I don't like sounding sentimental here... so with that I say bah humbug.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays y'all!

how i can't wait to not leave the house

iTunes and I aren't getting along this week. Fortunately it's not stopping iSaac from giving me my awesome tunes, but I can't burn any CDs and I'm a quest--no... a mission to fix this problem so I can share in my musical joy with others who'd like a copy of one of a kind mixes apparently only I know how to mix. But let that not stop me from continuing my trek of trailers I adore. Even though it's the holiday season, you'd think I'd do something festive for my friPod iPick. HA! I probably would, but no.

I'd also lament about my job's recent layoffs and I'd like to thank God for sparing my job when a few people I know were let go. Yeah, this bad economy is hitting close to home for everyone. It also gave me yet another boost, or a push, or an increase of motivation to complete a script or two ASAP. With that, I began the script for "The Writing Retreat" (working title until I find the symbols I'm looking for). So you can believe I do count, appreciate and cherish each and every blessing I have in my life. The holiday season has nothing to do with it, I've always been like that.

How about an honorable mention? Fall Out Boy's newest album is indeed pretty enjoyable. I also recently acquired The Roots latest effort but I haven't listened to it. It takes about 48 hours for me to move on from something new that I like. Sometimes longer. Speaking of newness, I now have Seinfeld season 5. Yes yes y'all! Oh, and to accompany it, Scene It: Seinfeld Edition. I don't want to play it yet because I only have 4 seasons of supreme knowledge. I also don't have many people to play with me. :o( Nevertheless, it'd be a game well enjoyed soon enough.

Lastly, New England is finally getting REAL snow. A good ole' fashioned snow storm. It just started as I type. I'll brush up on my photography skills and post a few "Christmassy" photos later. And by later I mean hopefully by or before Monday.

But so far, my vacation has been everything I dreamed. Falling asleep in the living room at 10pm and waking up to this a few hours later...

To help put you in the frame of mind I was in, I woke up around 2:30-2:45 and remained severely puzzled for the next minute as I recovered from groggy confusion and waked-upness. Really, it was a massive "what... the... stank!?" moment for me and I was a little too nervous about going back to sleep at that point. But I eventually came to my senses and changed the channel to something familiar, then went to bed... only I couldn't fall asleep so I watched a movie while I ate a bowl of Cocoa Pepples, ground beef and a bag popcorn (not all together... but yes, those were consumed in the span of 3 hours).

And today I ventured to the Mart and my local DVD rental chain and encountered disgustingly long lines everywhere. I do not like it. These lines were preparations for a deadly last minute Christmas gifts, Christmas dinner and looks-like-we'll-be-snowed-in food and movies. I think it's a New England thing, but I could be wrong.

Well, I'm off to work on other written works, and eventually take a long winter's nap until I'm called to shovel out the driveway like we're about to go somewhere (we aren't). We go in shifts just to keep up with the snow. It's better to shovel less snow by shovelling more frequently, no? I better charge up iSaac.

script skills, activate!

Woot woot! It's December of 2008. Why am I so excited? Not sure. However, this month I plan to devote to strictly scriptwriting... or at least to the scriptwriting process--character developments, plot developments, mapping out the stories, and most important: actually writing the script itself. For me, for some reason, that's the most time-consuming. The nice thing about getting to the step is whenever I get into a good flow, I could probably complete a script in a matter of hours or less, depending on how long the story actually is. I know this because of my screenwriting class a few years ago, along with my own personal episodes when I'm struck with a short script to write. The only thing I'm limiting myself to is still to pre-existing material I've already started either on my laptop, scraps of paper, and especially ideas written in my notebook(s). Some ideas have begun festering due to inactivity and being further developed. The sooner they are finished, the sooner I can devote my notebook (and brain space) to new fresh ideas to fester... I mean develop.

(This is a picture of iSaac playing "Champion" and my notes on one of my latest works, "Champion.")

Basically, all this month I will refrain from working on poetry (unless, of course, a wave of inspiration sweeps me into jotting lyrics to something really wonderful) and I may even be blogging less (I'm not sure how true that will actually be) but since I'm fairly new on Twitter, I'll probably stay up to date on that via text messages from my phone. Regarding my poetic skills, I've been working on pieces all of November and only (secretly) published 1 of 5 written. Why? I don't know. I will publish 2 more, as I feel the other 2 may remain "unreleased" because I know I can do better. As one of my poetry teachers once told me, sometimes we write poems that are meant just to clear our throat. Once we get the phlegm out of the way, we can clearly say what we mean, with great flow and rhythm and all that good stuff. I think it's possible to still make those throat-clearers something worth reading. However, how they look right now, it's not up to par with the level I'm trying to achieve. Don't worry, you probably aren't missing anything special if you never read what I never release.

So as this month goes on, I ask for support in this challenge. I work better if I'm pressured. Odd as it may sound, I don't like pressure, but when I am, I'm more productive. It's like a turbo boost to the process and progress. I like those 2 things and those eventually lead to my personal favorite kind of euphoria: results and accomplishments. So every so often this month, feel free to ask me how I'm doing? What have I completed? Am I done yet? Ya know, annoying things like that. This can be done via blog comments this month, emails (including MySpace and Facebook), text messages (for those who know me like that), instant messages (I'm on AIM), in person (if I'm caught outside of my house), and especially my new social funess Twittering. I usually respond within 24 hours to any message depending where and what I'm doing. If I take any longer, then it means that I officially hate you. I JEST! I jest...

In the meantime, enjoy my fruits of November labor.

Champion - inspired by various songs, my life and my father.

Letter to My Beloved Somebody - inspired by John Legend's I Love, You Love

Fallen - inspired by this post by Melissa Dovovan ...amongst other things.

the november picture post (finally)

So first of all, I'd like to say Merry Christmas, it's officially Christmastime. I've also been holding out on posting pictures I've taken every so often. I keep wishing to be one of those people that brings his camera everywhere taking pictures of everything and everyone, but sadly my "good" camera has yet to make it on the official "personal effects list" (such as my phone, iSaac the iPod, which coincidentally has a camera, a pen, my MoleSkine, my wallet, my keys, and occasionally the Bag o' Tricks, which is merely my backpack that goes almost everywhere with me). So my phone has a camera, why don't I use it? Too frustrating to send picture to the Internet. It can be done but I need a strong connection and a couple minutes while it sends. I get more failed attempts than I would like, so by the 8th time I ask myself what is it really worth?

Anyway, my first picture comes from my office and is actually last years Christmas present from my boss. I'm considering starting a snow globe collection... but I'm not sure yet. So here is my Christmas greeting to you all.

I couldn't tell you why the snowman looks sad. Maybe he fell of his skis? I can't say.


The best stuff on Earth. This I sprinkle on a lot of foods from my eggs to veggies and of course, popcorn! What could be better? Adding it to Smartfood Popcorn, as if it didn't have enough cheese already. It also comes in other interesting flavors. Go to the site for more.


I'm the tech guru/PC doctor in my immediate family, yet my brother-in-law has a lot more knowledge than I, unfortunately he lives in Maryland. In any event, I get called upon by friends and family to see if I can figure out what's wrong with a computer. Fortunately, this was a successful attempt after about 6 hours of working. My grandmother's laptop ran disgustingly slow due to some corrupted file. Just because I'm good at problem solving, doesn't mean you can call me or drop off your computer. I have other things in my life that needs to be tackled. But I could use a good puzzle like this every so often.


One problem is freezer burnt ice cream. I can't just throw it away, especially when its a full carton of forgotten ice cream. That spells a wet and eventually stinky sticky mess in the garbage. So I sent it to liquid form down the sink and tried to make some art because it took awhile to melt. I certainly didn't feel bad about this because I hate freezer burnt ice cream.


I'd just like to take a moment to discuss the flash feature in my camera. This is the only way I can "freeze" something like water. I've taken pictures like this using drips of water and it's quite fun. But as you can see, the old ice cream is going quickly.


See the difference? No flash, and it looks like regular flowing water. My goal is to take pictures without the flash but achieve the same "freezing" effect. I require a more expensive camera that's on my celebrity wish list for that to take place.


This looks gross, but it was the last remains of the last carton of forgotten ice cream. It was vanilla, caramel swirl with caramel pieces covered in chocolate. It was okay. Would've been better in a small carton.


I had to make cornbread for Thanksgiving dinner. While I don't have trouble making it, I did have trouble with this pan. Sadly, I had to pull off the muffin tops and cut out the bottom stumps, then I put them back together on another pan hoping no one would notice. And yes, people did, and yes we talked about the Seinfeld episode. And yes that's cinnamon (and sugar... and nutmeg) sprinkled on top. It's my signature baking ingredient.


This picture was from my phone and didn't do my Thanksgiving meal justice. Don't look for the turkey, I'm not crazy about it and only had a few pieces the day after. The pink juice is a strange but delicious fruit punch. This was an excellent meal and it was funny that the only thing left on people's plate was my cornbread muffin. Am I hurt? No. I, too, couldn't finish and we all wanted to take a nap.


This is a tiny tiny taste of what I do when I'm not doing my current job, and what will be my main focus next month. I will explain more later. Obviously it's a piece of script from a short film titled The Last Meeting, and I have my friend in New York who already asked to direct it moments after reading the first draft. Hopefully, it's the first of many collaborations with her.


Do I really need to explain this one? This is the first of hopefully more awesome t-shirts I order from the web.

So that's some pictorials from around the workforce. I'll do what I can to be more consistent with them, but no promises. I rely more on my words and gift of imagery more than pictures, but pictures can say so much too. And maybe I will write less. And my photography skills will improve once I take pictures of things worth remembering forever.

Lastly, I know there wasn't a friPod post. Consider that I was on a holiday break. Honestly, there was nothing I was really iPodding that much this week. It was an off week for me at the office. I was feeling rather blah, and my drive to do any work was seriously lacking. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about. But nevertheless, I do indubitably have an iPick for this upcoming friPod iPick. I actually "discovered" it on my holiday break. And hey! It's holiday themed! So stay tuned and you'll figure out what it is. In the meantime, I shall reload my camera with more images that are worth talking about about.

i <3 monday!

My brain is severely scattered today. I've managed to complete about 7 files... which isn't too bad, especially for how I've been feeling these past few Mondays. Plus my day isn't nearly over. I'd much rather remain asleep and start work on Tuesday. But that won't work because then Tuesday becomes the new Monday. It's a terrible cycle. Too many distractions. Right now, my grandmother is preparing something that looks like apple crisp. It looks delicious even without being cooked yet. But I feel not-so-good due to a hefty breakfast I made myself this morning. It was good, but maybe a little too good. AND I'm a little sleepy from reading too much into all five of the Saw movies. I've only seen the first two... And those movies I'm not really into. I don't care much for gore and torture. But with my overactive imagination, I read the plots to all 5 movies, and how the devices worked and what happened to all the victims. I did that for about 2-3 hours before I realized I should get some sleep... but I was a bit too terrified to do so because images like to playback in my dreams making it a little too real for me. SO after watching some Marx Brothers movies and a few Sudoku and solitaire games later, I was off to sleep with no torture-related nightmares. My waked-up time was between 6 and 7 am, and I didn't fall asleep until about 3 am. Yay!

Prior to my research into dreary doomland, I hopped back into my screenwriting chair and formatted a previously written script into a more professional-looking one. When I'm in a zone (or away from a computer that has Final Draft), I'll write a rough draft in MS Word, and just use a format I always see in high school or church plays:
BILLY: I ate a rock.
TIMMY: That's too bad.
BILLY: I know. (cries)
It's only 4 pages, but it tells quite a story. I strived for realism in the dialogue, and after having someone read through it, I think I achieved that much. Unlike what I usually write, this is on the dramatic/sad side. It's about the break up of an affair between a guy and a girl who have a secret to share with each other. Hey, it's only 4 pages, I can't give everything away.

I feel like working on one of the last projects I started back on my last writing retreat... which is coincidentally titled "The Writing Retreat." Guess what it's about! That's right... making apple crisp. Well, after sitting in bed trying to clear my mind of senseless violence, I came up with another character to add to the story. The hotel I stayed at seems like it encouraged people to live there... So I came up with a character who lived at the hotel that the main character can interact with at different occasions while he's there. I haven't really touched the story itself since a few months ago, but if I get a chance tonight, I'll rewrite it before working on the actual script itself. All of this after a quick Sudoku of course. I also want to put some time in on my Noah Madison project thanks to Jaden's latest post. I need to schedule time to work on certain projects just so no one feels ignored. (I hear your cries Fickette, I miss you too!)

I have a love/hate feeling towards the actual screenwriting process. I like writing dialogue... but it just takes so long for me sometimes--keeping track of the character's personalities, how they would speak, what they would say, and still making it sound believable... unless every character is just so outrageous, that they can get away with grunts.

I really want to see Wall-E after hearing so much good about it and it's non-use of speech. Better yet, I wonder if I could get my hands on the screenplay to see how that reads.

Okay, I must snap out of it and get back to "real work" and do some early knocking-out-of-the-park numbers so I can slack off on Thursday. We've got a meeting at the office and it's requested I be there so I can bring some food back for my mom. It's supposed to be catered with all sorts of yummies. But I'm in a Monday mood, so I can care less about going to a meeting right now. Even with free catered food. What do I really care about? I want to either be on my laptop or under the covers being unconscious. But we can't have everything, can we? Yes we can! Obama told me so.

the nice-ities in life

Ya know what I like? A glass of ice, cracking open a can of Sprite, and pouring my beverage into the glass from a ridicuously high point just to watch it streamline and crash and slash onto the ice below. And of course to witness the bubbles and foaming. I think that's part of the soda expereince. I'm sure there are quality control department personel devoted to this part in the enjoyment process, with clip boards in hand and little rulers measuring the fizz level, timers to see how long it stays bubbly, and microphones tune to hear the crackling and popping. I'm sure of it. They do that for Starbucks coffee. Apparently I watch too much History Channel.

So I got a promotion today. I think I keep saying this... but a lot has happened in the past year. I held 2 jobs for about 4 months, I was in a play on TOP of those 2 jobs. I had went from being a temp to being hired full time with a raise and benefits. I transitioned to a new department. Then I transitioned to work at home. Then I wrote a script in a month! (Thanks Jaden) Then I baked some cookeis and ordered pizzas. Then I saved a bunch of money by switching my car insurance POLICY. (Same company, and it helps to talk to these people instead of ignoring their calls. And no, I'm not with Geico. Or AIG.) Then I ordered my new iPod. I made it back to gym finally, again. Then I got a thngy in the mail for attending a meeting that I didn't attend. (There will be a seperate post about that later.) Then I got promoted with a raise. Then my friend will take me out to lunch to celebrate even though she doesn't know yet. But she's offering to pay, and she's got a strong craving for the buffet with incredibly lower prices than if we went there for dinner. She's a crazy person. In a good way, of course.

Tonight will be some fine entertainment. Biden vs. Palin. I'm starting to think The Office won't be on. But that's okay... there are so many ways to catch TV shows you missed, I love technology. Speaking of shows, I have pretty much every night planned at 9PM. Wanna know my TV schedule aka when-not-to-bother-me-unless-you-are-watching-the-same-thing?

Monday: Heroes.
Tuesday: Fringe. (If I can help it, I'll catch House, although How I Met Your Mother is a pretty funny show.)
Wednesday: Ghost Hunters & Destination Truth.
Thursday: 30 Rock & The Office.
Friday: (I think) Hole in the Wall... until Psych comes back on in January. But that's at 10. So I'd watch Monk just because.
Now some of these times or shows are subject to change, and I'm not always home at 8PM to watch whatever may be on at that time. And Fridays are always gambles because I like to remind myself I have friends or a life outside of my house. Or movies.

Well I need to get back to work before it's lunch time. I'm not where I want to be with my quota just yet. I must make sure I stay worthy of my promotion, ya know? I better get more Spite.

well spent friday

Today I did what I think I was supposed to be doing with all these Friday's off--getting stuff done as well as chillin' out. I got some Christmas shopping done, which is always a load off of some shoulders. Speaking of shoulder loads, I want a crazy awesome solar panel backpack. Why? That's really a question people will someday learn not to ask... unless it's more specific... or the question is "why not?" because then... I don't know. I lost my train of thought. Watching movie trailers on the Speed Racer DVD.

So Christmas shopping, I have my dad and grandmother sort've crossed off the list. For some reason, I always find it difficult for the females in my life. And I don't wanna go for the easy smell-goods or candles that I know they'd be happy with. I want to give one of those gifts that are like "Aww!!! Sterrrrling!!!" And maybe a tear is shed or they are smiling so hard their cheeks are sore or they turn into a human clamp and hug so hard it's difficult to sustain life. I made my dad tear up one year which was a feat all it's own. That's when I bought the church a computer. You see, it's not necessarily the gift, it's the thought and meaning behind it. I'd rather give someone a touching hand written letter that I wrote specifically for that person versus the most expensive latest prettiest thing money can buy. Well, of course if I can afford something someone I care about really wants, then they can count it done!

I had Stuffed Buffalo Bread for lunch which was so-so. Not the best thing in the world, but it was something different. I bought me some new jeans. Hopefully they will take over my favorite pair since those spawned a whole in an unsightly area.

Back at the Mart, I ran into other co-workers telling me how the managers are such people persons. That's sarcasm by the way. Someone needs an angry letter sent to their house. But I probably have a better chance writing a script around it instead.

In other news, I plan on doing some writing later today. I'm not sure which project I'll pick up. I started about 3 or 4 in the past two months. Perhaps I'll write fuller drafts of two very rough drafts I've written on the spur of moments I had in the span of at least an hour. Both of which would be short films, but great stories nonetheless. Perhaps I'll expand on a thought I was inspired by earlier today. Would you like to hear it? Sure you would. And it wouldn't ruin anything I'm planning anyway. "So close but yet so far." Yep, that's what I'm thinking about. I'm going to have that be an underlying theme in a future story.

Speaking of stories, I'm also trying to device a decent mystery plot. I've always wondered how writers came up with those great mysteries that have awesome reveals at the end. I've come to realize that for some stories like that, one has to work backwards. Usually, I just go from beginning to end... or middle to end, then beginning... or middle to beginning to end... or... you get the point. And I think I'm turning into a morning person. I was up at 6:30 this morning out and about and enjoying myself, almost like I was on a mission. Well, sort've... But nothing was definite other than lunch, movies and some light shopping. The writing I hope to get to before midnight. Perhaps I could at least finish a treatment or a prewritten rough draft script.

But all of that after my movie viewing. Oh yeah, and I'm going to sign of for a Spanish class. I love the langauge, the culture, and... the ladies? Good God! But I'm really going to learn it to better myself and my future. But it wouldn't hurt to minlge with the latinas either.

bad news, good news, new news, old news, ...new olds?

To make a long story short, my uncle didn't show up on Saturday at the big family reunion picnic gathering thing. Honestly, I'm not that bummed about it. Yes, I was let down, but I feel so much better knowing I was prepared and had that groovy feeling of accomplishment. There's nothing quite like it. Needless to say, I'd much rather wish I had the chance to meet my uncle and show him my work. But in due time. The other reason I'm not too bummed about it is because I'm considering the circumstances he might've went through--like the happy rain storm known as Hanna. Apparently he lives in New Jerser or Long Island... which either way is an area that got hit a little worse than us. So due to incliment weather, I can understand why he didn't show up. Plus he's a big time executive and might not always be able to leave willy nilly. Then again, that may hurt his case, and I'm still on his side.

As for the reunion... I honestly will admit I was pretty bored. I met a bunch of people I probably won't see for another year or so, if that. One of which I do hope to meet again and work with. More on that later.

As for work... So far so good. 27 files down, and we'll just say... 23 to go... and 2 days left. Woot.

My parents and grandmother tripped down to Virginia for the rest of the week. They left a few hours ago and now I have the house to myself. Partytime? Oh yeah, baby! Evey night! Heh... Not quite. Pretty much everytime I have the house to myself for more than a few days... I haven't been home. Like I suddenly turn into an anti-homebody. Odd? Some seem to think so. But the other thing is one of my best friends is on vacation and will also be gone for the week. So that's one less person I can wreak havoc with. I need some more local friends.

Speaking of important people in my life, I'm starting to watch TV a little more this fall. In fact, as I type I'm watching Fringe. I can't say if it's good or bad since it's only the first 30 minutes... However I am impressed whenever they show a location, the words/names are floating and sometimes the camera flies through the letters. It's like the words are actually there! It's awesome. I want floating words in my neighborhood! Not necessarily location devices, but just random words. What might I have? "Squishy." Or maybe "onomatopoeia."

Between the commercial breaks, they actually say how long until they return. If only every show did that. This show has some humor to it too that I appreciate. It was either this or Wipe Out... which I do watch. Later, another new show, on BET no less, called Somebodies is coming on that I want to check out. This is the 3rd show that sounds like the premise or the exact college themed sitcom I wanted to do. The other two is Undeclared and some show I saw on Hulu.com called Dorm Life. I haven't seen it yet... But one day. I keep a lot of my big ideas to myself, but I'll let the title out on this one--Academic Probation. Sigh... I won't say much more about it though.

I do hope a new show called Valentines get's cancelled. I feel bad for saying that, but an idea I have for a movie trilogy involves Greek mythology very similar to how that show is doing things. I do not appreciate it. Alas, this was an idea I would bring up when I was more established, and had the chance to meet the great Andre 3000.

Well, I'm going to go off and cause a lot of trouble.

one hundred

I must come to terms with myself, just admit defeat, and learn to let go. So I did just that today... sort've. Today marks the 100th day I cleaned my room. I jest, I really don't have the foggiest of how many times I've cleaned my room since I've been here. The very few who have seen my room, know what I mean. So much so, a friend bought this... thing... which I proudly hang on my wall.

Fortunately, this room cleaning thing runs in the family. My dad has a knack for being messy yet highly organized, and so do I. Other traits we share? Storytelling, acute observational skills, good with numbers, businessmanshipness, sarcasm, humor, cookings, facial expressions and the ability to hold the attention of a crowd--something we both don't really like to admit, but do when the time calls.

Oh, we also sometimes have a hard time letting go of clothes that hurt us if we wear them. I'm getting better at that part, although I'm currently wearing a pair of shorts now that I described as... well... I just can't wait to get back home so I can take them off again. With that said, I also cleaned out my closet and got rid of several pairs of beloved and/or forgotten jeans. I also got rid of a bunch of sweaters I've had for a bunch of years that only took up space and precious hangers. I like the plastic ones, and I also try keeping the ones that shirts are originally hanging on. There's a reason why stores take them back: they are quality.

Two trash bags full of good clothes await to be donated. So I've done my good deed for the year, leave me alone.

Also in 100 news, tonight was Monk's 100th episode. It's not a show I'm a huge fan of, but since I'm not doing anything before Psych comes on, I'll tune in. And it was a pretty good episode, also playing on the #100 theme. Those who aren't keen on why 100 episodes is a big deal, allow me to explain. Syndication. However, there are exceptions, like the beloved Arrested Development and it's 53 episodes.

It's raining pretty hard outside. Must be Hanna knocking. I counted 100 rain drops. That was kinda hard to do.

Mmm... let's see... what else crossed the 100 mark? What happened today in 1908? I don't know and I don't care right now.

100th big toe nail clipping (this year)? 100th piece of fried fish (this year)? 100th egg (this summer)? 100th movie I've seen since... 100 Girls? Actually no... I've seen way more movies since then, but that's the first movie that came to mind with "100" in it.

OH YES! (Not related to 100) MY SCRIPT IS PRINTED and ready to be given to my uncle, whom I hope is still coming. Either way, it's a really good feeling having that finished. Well, mostly. I'm sure revisions will come about. But still... WOOT!!

...and finally, and this is the big one... This is my 100th post. I wish I had technology that would burst streamers out of the screen of anyone reading this. It's up to you to clean it up though. Sorry. But woot woot all the same, right?

I had to do one more post before I did this one. But that post was late anyway. Forever Lasts Tonight is one of my favorite poems I've written so far, and the other night I was thinking about it as I enjoyed the late summer night. If only I had committed it to memory, I would've recited it and made people feel all warm and gushy inside. Like Pop-Tart filling right out of the toaster. Wait, no... that's actually painful... But I'm impatient and have a habit of causing pain to myself for the sake of extreme deliciousnesses. Extra cheesy gooey pizza is another criminal to my burning tongue. But oh! It is sooo good. I want some now, but seeing it's 3:17am, the last pizza place just closed 18 minutes ago. That's okay... I actually bought some Pop-Tarts real quick during a Monk commercial break. And you know what? It was my 100th Pop-Tart (this year). (Strangely, that might be true...)

newnesses (maybe not a word, but fun to say)

I couldn't resist a quick little woot for myself and other. For one thing, I finished a random short little script/scene I started a couple nights ago that made my Tuesday feel like a really bad Monday. And no, I'm not about to admit I had a case of the "Mondays." I hear you can get hurt from saying things like that. Now I feel like watching Office Space all the more. But my Psych DVD is taking up the time.

Anyway, I finished a random quick script that can be used as a short film, or an important scene in a movie. I like the short film idea, and if it comes to me or someone says I should expand, then maybe I'll see where else I can take the characters. The story is about a young couple in love having a humorous but somewhat romantic conversation while staring at the ceiling above them. I wrote it in a rush because I was trying to record the words as I heard them in my head before the thought went away. I may have lost some of the "magic" when I picked it up the following night where I passed out at... But I let a friend read through it, so I'm awaiting her critique.

As for work... it's going pretty good. I had a rough first couple of days. Besides the whole bloody nose thing... Some of the programs we need to use weren't working like they were supposed to, making processing very frustrating to do. When I get super frustrated mixed with boredy, it makes me sleepy. As hard and wobbly as my new desk is, it doesn't make for a comfy pillow. I tried anyway. As for my chair? I think I will name it Jake. No reason. I just like giving inanimate objects names, especially names that sound like actual people. Remember Sam? Yeah, he's still at the hospital. I'll call about that tomorrow, or just stop by after my lunch at the office.

The other newness is my upgrading to Internet Explorer 8. Ever upgrade to a new program and it feels new, shiny and clean? I had that feeling too. It was also maybe because I cleared some of the dust off the screen. But now my Yahoo home page looks nice and cool due to the upgrade, and I finished off updating my own blog's design. Nothing significant... except for the blog roll, the ability to RSS, and my blog picture of my desk. The other newness blog related is a blog I love reading, sometimes more than once, Writing Forward by the lovely melissa who is an inspiration to practically anyone who goes there. Little known fact, she's the reason why blog so much now. I have the Indoob, my movie reviews on MySpace, and I contribute to Wolfgang Puck. I haven't lately, since it's not my blog and I don't want to hog it. But I learned that you need to love your blog. And by loving it, you gotta write in it. And doggone it I'm gone write!

I really need to go to bed. And I'm thirsty. And hot. And sexy. Sorry, couldn't resist, it's like a catchphrase with me. Except I can't type in a Barry White-esque "voice" ...but I do what I can. Anyway, for those working 4 day weeks, Happy Friday yall!

Special shout out to jaden @ http://www.screenwritingforhollywood.com --also a very useful blog and great resource for knitting sweaters, just like the website says.

what i want for Christmas...

LMAO!! Okay... I don't know what the stank this is... But I kinda want one. 1) to play to see if it's any fun, 2) to be a television for Halloween and 3) wear it to meetings so I can hide my true emotions... like being asleep. No doubt people would enjoy watching me better than whatever I might be watching inside of it. Even if it was empty.

I found this picture listed under World's Ugliest Gadgets. I have no idea whatsoever what this thing really is, other than some kind of video game, or flight simulator... yet I'm curious how this poor girl can manage all the weight of the be-a-boob-tube helmet. You need a strong neck if you're going to have a TV for a head. I'm just going to stop and admire the hilairity of the picture. This was worth waking up in this morning to see. This makes me happy.

Allow me to complain about nosebleeds. I haven't had one since 1990. Okay, so it's a guess... but a bleeding nose is rare for me. Yes, they used to frighten my when I was wee, but now that I'm older, it's just annoying. I was only scared because the grown-ups around me would freak out. "OH MY GOD!" "YOUR NOSE IS BLEEDING!" "THIS KID'S NOSE IS BLEEDING!" "GET THE NURSE!" "TILT YOUR HEAD BACK!" "GET HIM A TISSUE!" "THERE'S A FIRE... sale!"

I don't know why my nose was bleeding, but I just wanted it to stop, which it did. I hate when my garbage looks like a murder scene/surgery scene, and me looking like I've been beaten up. The concern people show me only make it worse.

It wasn't too bad of a distraction from today's work. I actually didn't mind going back to work today... except that the program we use still has issues. By the end of the day, things were getting back to normal, except the fact my drowsiness had settled back on me. What I really felt like doing was jumping up on stage singing Stevie Wonder hits. But I stayed put and got some decent work done. Not enough, but tomorrow I should be back on track.

One of the reasons I was so sleepy, I started a new script for a new short film. I couldn't sleep with these "voices" having this conversation that I needed to write down... or type. Ironically enough, it was about a couple who were wide awake in the middle of the night too. They didn't finish their late night chat because the writer suddenly had a strong case of the sleepies. I slept for about 2 hours, then went to my office for the real work. Oh, I made myself a huge pot of coffee which left me with the feeling of wanting to explode. Fortunately, I didn't.

Lastly, my grandmother is killing me. No, not with knives or poison. I'm not crazy about blueberry muffins, but she made them again today, and she's turning me into a fiend for them. And each time she makes them, I find myself eating them until there are no more left. I'd creep down in the wee hours and steal one or two, and smuggle them back to my room for snacking like a raccoon. I'm so hungry right now. And so sleepy. What am I to do? I'll steal a few winks before I steal a muffin and then steal a few more lines of dialogue. Sounds like a plan to me.

Writer's Wretreat - August '08 [part 3]

It's the crack of dawn early Sunday morn... I'm just now realizing I have the perfect view of the sunrise. I think I neglected that fact before due to it being rainy and cloudy yesterday morning. It's hard to determine the sunrise when the cloudy clouds are blocking the sunny sun, no? Maybe I'll draw back the light blocking curtains and watch the sun rise live. That almost sounds like a concert. Ooo... That's a good idea. Have a musical concert from about 5am to 8am or something... No one steal it! I claimed it here first! Growl.

Even though I've been sitting in the same spot for about... 7 hours, I still haven't done much editting to Sam's One Night Stand. I think that's what I'm going to go with as a title. I got some feedback from a friend I sent the initial script to. I just sent her the newer version, but it's not the final completed version. If I still have energy, I may just get that over with and call it a night. Or morning. Or day. I think I'm going to start preparing to go home. With a suite like this, do they expect me to wash my dishes? I brought the wrong camera to document my stay here. I would've had some awesome shots of the silverware, food I ate, amazing stunts I did that people should never do in their own home. I jest. Like last time, I mostly sat at the desk.

Ocean's Thirteen came on HBO 2 unexpectedly. What's even more uncanny is Ocean's Eleven was on TBS at the same time! What a choice to make. I went 13 since it was uncensored and commercial free. I lucked out though because 11 came on a 2nd time... So you know where I was for about 4 hours. Yep, in the ugly brown recliner that is nowhere as comfy as the one at home. And I munched on my complimentary bag of buttered free popcorn that I almost burned, and decaf coffee that I brewed myself. Aren't I special?

So that was part of my vacationing, and it was good. I had to get back into workmode which was a little difficult. I was distracted and inspired by reading my new favorite blogs and the comments people make. Then I decided to get snacks. All of that helped me to... [insert drumroll]

Write a brand new story! I haven't started the script, I don't know if I will do it now... but either way, I'm feeling accomplished. What is it called? Working title would be The Writing Retreat. I like puns... and there really isn't one in that title. Concept: A struggling young writer taking a weekend off at a hotel to focus on writing new material, meets an unexpected muse that changes his life forever. The fun thing about that concept alone, it's based on a true story. As for the story itself, well, it's partially based in truth, but later in the story, my imagination takes over. But it's not like crazy imagination. It's a story I could easily film if a bunch of actors were in the room next to me and they worked for free and on a whim.

Speaking of neighbors... what is with the people about me??? Who does that much walking?! Seriously! At least they are sitting now, I hope. I may have to write that in the script, what my character would be thinking is going on in the room above his. A dance party? Musical chairs? A ballet performance chef? People warming up for a marathon?

Good God in the sweet heavens above me, I would like a nap.

I was going to have a Seinfeld marathon... but I've stuck with Psych. This show makes me happy. I thought I'd get through both seasons, but I'm still on season one. And the movies I rented? Didn't touch them since I've been here. Go fig. I know why though. I couldn't write something new and watch something new at the same time. Plus, watching familiar things that I love, inspires me to write, and hopefully it's up to par to whatever I'm watching.

Crap in a hat... my eyes are too weary to continue. I've seen too many words in one sitting. I'm going to clean up a bit, open the curtains, enjoy more Psych, as I float off to La La Land. It's nice, they like me there.

Oh yeah! Bounty towels are really awesome! They really are as tough as the commercials say. And yes, I'm amazed by the simplest things in life.

Writer's Wretreat - August '08 [part 2]

Woot woot! Yes, yes yall... I have all, or most of the written words needed for my script to be at it's completeness. I'm going to go through later tonight to do some revising before I'm satisfied with the main results. I'm currently at 36 pages, which is a little less than I expected, but in screenplay terms, that still qualifies as a short film, and technically equals about 40 minutes. But the album itself is about 36 mins long, so clearly, the movie will be longer than that. Clearly.

I had a great sleep by the way. I want to smuggle these pillows out because of their awesome fluffiness. I am reminded of a Seinfeld episode with George being annoyed that his sheets are tucked in too tightly. I sort've had the same issue, but I dealt with it... and slept peacefully from about 6am to noon. Now here it is just about 3pm, and I am mostly complete. I need a quick nap before I do some hardcore reading... and probably some food too. But I have the rest of the night for that, and I can probably work on some other back burner projects OR start a brand new one. And by brand new, probably something that has been in my head but hasn't seen the light of a laptop, or been heard by any ears other than the one inside my head. That makes me sound all kinds of weird, doesn't it?

What's weird is who else is up at the wee hours of the morning walking around constantly? And no, it isn't sounds of beds moving way more than they should, it's actual footsteps. Believe me, I know the difference and I don't wanna talk about it. Anyway, the footsteps went on and on all night. It's a good thing I wasn't trying to sleep! Man, some people. My other deductive reasoning would have me believe that it's because my room is right next to a stairwell. So, that could be the reason for all the footsteps. Still... why so much walking at 3 - 4 am? And my TV goes off every few hours. I'm thinking it's an energy saving thing, but still... it's a little creepy sometimes.

Well, 'tis time for a wee nap. This is a partial vacation, I should be able to lounge around and do absolutely nothing for a little while, enjoy some free cable and a big comfy bed. But the productiveness shall continue indefinitely.

running out of time... and days off

I'm almost at the finish line of this script that I've been talking about for... a month to a year I suppose. Honestly, this was a script I never thought I'd be writing until years from now. Why? It's one of those projects I didn't want to attempt until I was well established and somewhat known and trusted to get the financing to handle it. But the other thing I keep forgetting is I can always write it now and save it for later. I must remember what my screenwriting teacher at Middlesex taught me. "All of the leading ladies can't be hot latin women!" Wait, no, she didn't say that. Build up a portfolio, then worry about selling and production stuff like that later. And to get an agent after. Which means I should go back to my other plan of writing scripts strictly for selling. Wow, strict scripts is as hard to type as it is to say out loud. I'm going to blame the pizza.

I tried a new pizza place that was recommended to me today. They already won points by getting here in 20mins. I feel bad I gave them a lousy tip. When I order from them again, I'll make up for it. I'll give them a Hallmark card that says "Thank you."

Anyway, I received Our Uncle Sam yesterday from author Erik Greene, who is the great nephew of Sam Cooke. I was already hooked by the beginning. It's exactly what I was looking for to help with my script. I'm going to see how quickly I can read it. But I want to finish one thing at a time, of course. Which means the pizza is first on my plate... literally. Well, if I was eating from a plate. I normally just take the box and run.

I also managed to watch a slew of movies, which I've reviewed all on my Myspace blog. Movies recently reviewed? 21, Park, College Road Trip, Penelope, and Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. I will probably continue this movie span in the next few days. This helps in my writing process in so many ways. "How to make a movie that doesn't suck." Speaking of movies that will probably go down in flames, isn't Disaster Movie's title really just punctuate the movie itself? I've seen enough trailers that have me convinced I want to cry if I had to pay to see this movie.

Someone is drumming very badly next door. They really should stop or I might sneak in their house and fill their drums with cement.

Speaking of which, I still haven't received word from Dr. Bob... So I may once again hold off until NEXT week, possibly Friday, to get Sam (the car) out of the hospital. So this weekend, I may finally get a wee retreat. I need to spend time away from this house. I'm thinking back to Candlewood Suites. It's nice there. Plus I never really got to sleep in the bed since I only stayed for one night and practically sat at the desk the whole time I was there. I only slept for 2 hours there. I melted into the mattress before I had to peel myself out when the cleaning lady came a'knockin. So yeah, $300 should cover a couple nights wherever I choose to go for a couple nights.

Methinks I need a nap now. Which some would see as odd since I didn't do anything today. On the contrary, last night I typed out Bible study questions for my dad. About 7 chapters, all in one sitting. Oh, my poor fingers. I wanted to detach them and sit them in some cooling waters, then hang them to dry. But sleeping for about 7 hours worked too. All I want now is just 15 mins of a nap. Or more. We have to sing tonight in Middletown at some service that I think is outside... It might not be... I'm not sure. But I need to rest. So rest I shall. And drink plenty of fluids. And don't call me in the morning.