Meditations on Sloth

Another Meme...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:06:48 GMT

I got this from kimmparker and others. I filled it out at work this morning while I was waiting for queries to run etc., but then things got busy and I didn't get around to actually posting it. So I will now.

If anyone actually reads it all, well... good for you.

60 things you didn't know about me...

What is in the back of your car? (Back seat, not trunk, right?) - sun shade, a dime (I saw it this morning), canvas shopping bags

What color is your toothbrush? Green and white, I think

What were you doing at 8 am this morning? Getting in the car or driving to work

What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Databasey goodness

What is your favorite candy bar? I dunno... maybe Twix or Butterfinger. Snickers is always good. I don't eat many candy bars.

Have you ever been to a strip club? No

What is the last thing you said aloud? Probably "howzit goin'"

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint Chocolate Chip

What was the last thing you had to drink? Coffee with half and half

What are you wearing right now? Jeans, a green short-sleeved button-down shirt (untucked) and brown street shoes

What was the last thing you ate? Oatmeal with yogurt and blueberries

Have you bought any new clothing items this week? No, but maybe two weeks ago - and I rarely buy new clothes, so I thought it was worth a mention

When was the last time you exercised? Softball game last night... other than that, I haven't been too good about exercising, other than walking places when I can

Last sporting event you watched? If live, it was a Valley Cats game a few weeks ago; otherwise, I think the Wimbledon Men's Doubles Finals on TV at Moriah's

Who is the last person you sent a comment/message on MySpace? I don't do myspace. I think I commented on Snakey's Facebook page last night.

Ever go camping? Lots, once upon a time.

Do you take vitamins daily? Yeah

Do you have a tan? No, and I'm finally at a place in my life where I don't really care!

Do you like Chinese food over pizza? Sometimes, but Pizza is really a favorite, even more so these days

Do you drink your pop with a straw? At a restaurant I might drink my soda that way.

What did your last text message say? Something congratulatory for Steve's diving catch in softball, and that I wouldn't have time to go to the batting cages with him.

Are you someone's best friend? Shouldn't you be asking THEM? But I'm pretty sure I am someone's best friend.

What are you doing tomorrow? Work, maybe watch a DVD with the wife or something.

Where is your dad? At work I think.

Look to your le ft, what do you see? My Mauri Kunnas calendar (if I turn far enough)

What color is your watch? Black with some gray/silver bits

What do you think of when you hear Australia? Men at Work

Do you use chapstick? Occasionally

What is your birthstone? I don't feel like looking it up, don't really care.

Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? I don't go to fast food places much anymore. I used to use the drive-through a lot, but now I think I'd be more inclined to park and go in for my food, instead of destroying our world by idling my car in line.

What is your favorite number? 37...

Do you have a dog? No, and I think my choice of life partner now precludes that possibility :). And to be honest, I don't really mind. I like dogs sometimes, but not enough to want to deal with taking care of one.

Last person you talked to on the phone? Steve Lam, I think.

Have you met anyone famous? Hmmm... I met Brian Regan once, and if he's not really famous, well, he should be!

Any plans today? Do conference calls count? *sigh*

How many states have you lived in? Four: Oregon, New Jersey, New York, Texas.

Ever go to college? Rice University - I loved it

Do you dye your hair? No

Biggest annoyance in your life right now? Nothing really; maybe random work stuff I guess

What was the last song you listened to? Whatever was on the radio when Tuuli drove me home from softball last night. I don't remember.

Can you say the alphabet backwards? I think I can

Do you have a maid service clean your house? No

Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? The ones I'm wearing now - brown skechers, nothing special but I like 'em.

What was your wedding song? We made five CDs of songs! Been meaning to make a post listing them all.

Are you jealous of anyone? I think I get jealous fairly often, but no particular person or anything that I obsess about. It always passes.

Is anyone jealous of you? I don't know.

Do you love anyone? Joo

Do any of your friends have children? Yes

Do you eat healthy? I do pretty well, but I also have some bad habits. I've come a long way though, from where I once was...

What do you usually do during the day? Kick ass

Do you hate anyone that you know right now? Ehh... I try not to do that. I don't know.

Do you use the word 'hello' daily? I doubt it. Probably mostly if I answer the phone and don't know who it is, but that doesn't happen so much.

What color is your car? Dark green

Do you like cats? I guess, but it depends on the cat.

Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yeah, I think so.

How did you get your worst scar? What do you mean? Scars are awesome! But I guess my "best" scar is on my right forearm. I got it in Croatia when I was there in 2002. I was carrying these massive flower pots, and at one point while moving them around, the edge of one scraped me on the arm. Painful, but nothing major. But I think the violence done to the skin (as opposed to a much deeper but cleaner cut) made it scar. I also swam in the ocean (Adriatic Sea) soon after, and it seemed to make the wound all puffy and purple for a while. I wonder if I infected it or something. Anyway, it wasn't able to heal over properly, thus I still have a scar there.

Movie Quotes Meme - the Answers

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 00:37:28 GMT

The answers to the Movie Quotes game - thanks everyone for playing!

I left the answers "hidden", so any of you late-comers can still play along if you like.

1. They'll never catch me... because I'm fucking innocent.

No one solved this one... (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Bottle Rocket

2. Newspaper Editor: Come here. [Newspaper Photographer], what do you know about high society?
Newspaper Photographer: Oh... well, I...
NE: Don't answer that. My society photographer got hit in the head by a polo ball. You're all I got. Big party tonight for an American hero, my son the astronaut.
NP: C-could you pay me in advance?
[NE laughs hysterically for a few seconds]
NE: You serious? What, pay you for just standing there? Tomorrow night, the planeterium, 8:00. There's the door.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Spider-Man 2

3. You're suspect! Yeah, you! I don't know what your reputation is in this town but after the shit you tried to pull today you can bet I'll be looking into you. Now the business we have, heretofore, you can speak with my aforementioned attorney. Good day gentlemen and until that day comes, keep your ear to the grindstone.

wilzawall got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Good Will Hunting

4. Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!

thessalymarley got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

5. Seize the fat one!

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Robin Hood (Disney Animated Version)

6. Man A: I've always been considered an asshole for about as long as I can remember. That's just my style. But I'd really feel blue if I didn't think you were going to forgive me.
Man B: I don't think you're an asshole, [Man A]. I just think you're kind of a son of a bitch.
Man A: Well, I really appreciate that.

g_smarmy got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Royal Tenenbaums

7. You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Clerks

8. Obey my dog!

wilzawall got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Zoolander

9. Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Godfather

10. Wrong brother, you hateful bitch.

g_smarmy got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Kill Bill Part 2

11. S: You know there's nothing wrong with that name.
MB: There was nothing wrong with it... until I was about 12 years old and that no-talent ass clown became famous and started winning Grammys.
S: Hmm... well why don't you just go by Mike instead of Michael?
MB: No way. Why should I change? He's the one who sucks.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Office Space

My friend Ryan from high school also got it - via FaceBook message!

12. Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?

No one solved this one... (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Lost in Translation

13. Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free.

donnahosie got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Love Actually

My friend Ryan from high school also got it - via FaceBook message!

14. We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.

donnahosie got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Ghostbusters

15. That woman deserves her revenge; and we deserve to die.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Kill Bill Part 1 (also in 2, I believe...)

16. I saved Latin. What did you ever do?

Ryan got it! (And Wilzawall too, on Facebook.) (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Rushmore

17. Woman: You were martyred?
Man: That's one way of putting it. Another way of putting it would be to say that I was bludgeoned to death by huge fucking rocks.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Dogma

18. Well, good luck trying to find a DJ who can move and shake like THIS!

wilzawall got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Wedding Singer

19. Sidecars are for bitches.

g_smarmy got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Garden State

20. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it
means.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Princess Bride

Movie Quotes Meme

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 02:03:46 GMT

Saw this meme thing on T's LJ and others.

1. Pick 10-20 your favorite movies. (Does anyone expect me to do less than 20?)
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Fill in the film title once it's guessed.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions.

[UPDATE: Please let me know if you're not able to see the answers. And don't mock my code, it was just a quick hack.]

[UPDATE 2: They're going fast! Some of the rest might be a bit harder. The hint from my icon wasn't necessary (go mlwl!) but if you look at my tags, one of them could be a clue to three of the yet-to-be-guessed movies here... (and no, it's not the Spider-Man tag!)]

1. They'll never catch me... because I'm fucking innocent.

2. Newspaper Editor: Come here. [Newspaper Photographer], what do you know about high society?
Newspaper Photographer: Oh... well, I...
NE: Don't answer that. My society photographer got hit in the head by a polo ball. You're all I got. Big party tonight for an American hero, my son the astronaut.
NP: C-could you pay me in advance?
[NE laughs hysterically for a few seconds]
NE: You serious? What, pay you for just standing there? Tomorrow night, the planeterium, 8:00. There's the door.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Spider-Man 2

Good Will Hunting

4. Well, ain't this place a geographical oddity. Two weeks from everywhere!

thessalymarley got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

5. Seize the fat one!

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Robin Hood (Disney Animated Version)

The Royal Tenenbaums

7. You know, there's a million fine looking women in the world, dude. But they don't all bring you lasagna at work. Most of 'em just cheat on you.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Clerks

8. Obey my dog!

wilzawall got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Zoolander

9. Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Godfather

10. Wrong brother, you hateful bitch.

g_smarmy got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Kill Bill Part 2

Office Space

My friend Ryan from high school also got it - via FaceBook message!

12. Can you keep a secret? I'm trying to organize a prison break. I'm looking for, like, an accomplice. We have to first get out of this bar, then the hotel, then the city, and then the country. Are you in or you out?

13. Hiya kids. Here is an important message from your Uncle Bill. Don't buy drugs. Become a pop star, and they give you them for free.

donnahosie got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Love Actually

My friend Ryan from high school also got it - via FaceBook message!

14. We came, we saw, we kicked its ass.

donnahosie got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Ghostbusters

15. That woman deserves her revenge; and we deserve to die.

mlwl got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Kill Bill Part 1 (also in 2, I believe...)

16. I saved Latin. What did you ever do?

Ryan got it! (And Wilzawall too, on Facebook.) (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Rushmore

Dogma

18. Well, good luck trying to find a DJ who can move and shake like THIS!

wilzawall got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Wedding Singer

19. Sidecars are for bitches.

g_smarmy got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

Garden State

20. You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it
means.

sunnyelf778 got it! (Drag cursor below to see answer:)

The Princess Bride

Shameless Self-Promotion

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 01:41:17 GMT

I think for the next month and a half, all of my posts will just be links to the wedding LJ.

So, click click (for those who didn't already see Tuuli linking this same entry).

Thanks for indulging me... feel free to ignore it.

Check it out!

Thu, 20 Sep 2007 01:40:46 GMT

Don't have much time to write an entry, but wanted to point out this new community: Tuuli and Jason are Getting Married. Tuuli got it up and running, and hopefully in the coming days we'll both have time to add to it to the point that it can become a useful place for people interested in our wedding to check in from time to time. We hope you find it worthwhile - please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions or what-not!

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 01:35:52 GMT

This is a bit random...

Two of my friends and former roommates at Rice University are out there making their way in the entertainment industry, and I just want to do my little part in getting their names out there. I can't remember if I've done this before, and I'm too lazy to check through all of my old posts. Anyway, I have new things to link to, so who cares if I did it before. Besides, it's easier than talking about myself...

The first is my man Mike Macrae. Now, if you're like me, you love a good standup comedy act. And that's exactly what Mike Macrae will give you. He has his own website, but it seems like he hangs out more on his myspace page. And what did I just discover today when I randomly surfed over there? He was on Letterman, and has a clip of the video there! It's really good stuff, you should check it out. I haven't spoken to him in years, but I know he's a good dude, and a truly gifted comedian. His impressions in particular, as you'll see, are awesome. Check out his tour dates on his myspace page and see if he'll be performing near you in the future!

I'm going to try to embed the video:

Then there's Elbert Traister. One of the greatest guys I know, and an aspiring actor in out in Hollyweird... he's got a myspace page, too, which I just discovered, and it's got links to several trailers of upcoming independent movies that he's in, and some of them appear to be pretty big roles. The two trailers I saw, Vengeance and Fists of Righteous Harmony, both seem to be action flicks; the trailers contain some violence/gore and maybe a curse word here or there, so be warned, if you don't want to see that. However, that being said, give 'em a look! I have no idea what these movies will be like, but I can honestly say that my interest is definitely piqued. Put that together with the fact that Elbert's in them, and I definitely want to watch!

I know the acting business is a tough business, and it's hard to get anywhere in it... but if anyone can do it, it's Elbert. So just keep your eye out for him in the future, is all I'm saying. And if you have the opportunity, throw him your support - he's definitely a guy who deserves it.

So yeah, I'm totally feeling semi-important because I know these guys. I know it's dumb, but I can't help it. But I'm also just really proud of them, that they're out there chasing these dreams. And that's not to say I'm not proud of all of the awesome people I know who are doing all kinds of amazing things with their lives - and believe me, there are many of them. I've had the good fortune to meet a lot of amazing folks through the years... but I guess there's something unique about being able to say, "that guy who was on TV - I knew him before all of that!"

In other news. My fiancée recently got me onto Facebook, since many of her school friends were on it and convinced her to join. And of course she needed me on there, so she could list that she was engaged to me... So anyway, in spite of myself, I'm finding that I'm really liking the site so far! And I actually found a few of my friends on it already, imagine that! It seems like a decent way to keep in touch with people who you don't talk to often - and there's ways to play around with those friends you do keep up with, too. SO, if you're someone I know, and you're on Facebook, find me and friend me! And if you're not on it - go sign up so I can increase my network. I'm only half kidding... (Do it!)

The fact that both Elbert and Mike (yeah, I'm back to those guys) have myspace pages is actually making me consider whether I should sign up for that thing too; but myspace just seems too chaotic. I guess I'll think about it, but I don't think I'll go jumping right away into signing up for yet another site. There's only so much I can keep up with, and I do a pretty lousy job already with what I have, most of the time. Still, there's something enticing about being on one of those sites and saying "yes, I'm this person's friend". I dunno. Maybe I'm just weird...

Oh, and I finally reserved Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at the nearby Barnes and Noble. They'll be open at midnight; I wonder if I'll go then or if I'll just go in the morning? I have no idea what to expect, I've never waited for a book to be released before...

Do my real life friends know about the Harry Potter side of my life? I guess most of them do by now, although I wonder if they understand just how much of an impact it's been. I don't really talk about it all that much, but it sort of has to come up eventually, particularly insofar as how the heck I met g_smarmy in the first place! Ah, Harry Potter, my life would be a lot less excellent if not for you.

Somewhat related to that - I've written two essays, pulled mostly from my own experience as a fan and in the online fandom for Harry Potter. They're both hosted at the Leaky Cauldron. The first was for the first issue of Scribbulus - and you can find it here. (That's the low-bandwidth version of the site; the main site does evil things to my computer. They need to improve that...) The other was for the Harry Potter Seven project, which was originally supposed to be a chapter of a book that would be sold to raise money for Book Aid International, but... eh, something happened. I was disappointed, but they still made it into this snazzy looking collection attached the main Leaky Cauldron site. And they set it up with a donation button, but I have no idea how successful that ended up being. I just wished I could have had one of those books to hold in my hand, and put on my shelf, and know that yes, something I wrote got published in a book! Anyway, here's a link to it (I couldn't figure out if there was a low-bandwidth version of this). I'm fairly proud of these, but fair warning: if you're not involved in the Harry Potter fandom, you might not really appreciate them too much. I'm not discouraging you from reading them, per se, just giving you fair warning (and covering my backside, in case you hate them!). Of course, I don't think there are many people reading this journal besides those who might have me on their LJ friends list, and nearly all of those are HP people anyway.

What a rambling, crazy, entry. Should I put it under a cut? Ehh... too lazy.

Peace.

Täältä tullaan, Suomi!

Fri, 04 May 2007 16:58:17 GMT

Hello?

Is this thing on?

I'm just making a quick post - well, because. Because I haven't in ages, and I'm full of nervous energy and want to do something. I'm leaving in a few hours for a great weekend in Boston to see a bunch of my high school buddies, and then from there, I will be flying to Finland, the country that in the span of a year has come to be very important to me, and at this moment in time, happens to contain the person who's become most important to me. So, you know, frickin' awesome and all that. I can't even imagine how great it will be, but I'm obviously very excited and dreaming about it. I'm glad my weekend fun will keep my mind off of it, and then I'll only have the plane ride to really start going nuts thinking about it all :)

Who knows, maybe I'll even make a post or two while I'm there. But if you know me, you know to not really count on that...

Oh, and my subject line for this post? I asked Tuules how to say "Finland, here I come!" in Finnish, and she said that was pretty close to it (there's no real literal equivalent that would sound natural, I guess).

So, just wanted to ramble a bit, and say hello to the world. Hello!

Some Novels and a Movie

Sat, 02 Dec 2006 16:20:05 GMT

'Allo Slothwatchers!

BIG TIME CONGRATULATIONS to thessalymarley and atschpe for winning NaNoWriMo (and Witherwings from the Leaky Lounge as well)! If you know any of them, they deserve your absolute praise for what they accomplished!

As for me, I guess despite my attempts to convince myself and others, I never succeeded in really getting myself fully devoted to NaNo this year. Oh well, I'm not too broken up over it, although I would have liked to make a bit more progress on my latest project. But that's OK, I continue to plug away, and it will get there in the end! And perhaps I will try my hand at another NaNoWriMo sometime in the future.

I watched Chungking Express a little while back, perhaps a week ago or more. It's a great film out of Hong Kong by Wong Kar-Wai. It's basically two stories connected in a very small way (but perhaps sharing more thematically). I tend to have trouble explaining why I like movies without giving away lots of plot - not that the plot necessarily is so secret in this movie, but I generally just don't like to give summaries. There's just - a lot of life in this flick, I guess would be my take on it. It made me happy, and also made me a bit sad or wistful - but it's good to watch a movie that encourages one to feel something, but doesn't beat you over the head with it either. Perhaps its the method that Wong Kar-Wai uses to make his films - as far as I know, he never works from complete scripts, instead writing them as he goes along - so there seems to be this sense of "I don't really know where this is going" to the stories. Which can be very refreshing. Anyway, just thought I'd give my little rave about the movie! Check it out if it sounds interesting.

All right, that's enough for today. Happy December!

Peace.

Baseball Fever, Two Movies, NaNoWriMo Changes, and a Blogthing

Sat, 18 Nov 2006 17:39:08 GMT

How is it possible that I'm suffering from such severe baseball fever in the middle of November? This isn't supposed to happen. Maybe it's because there were so many positive and promising things about last season, and then it all ended so abruptly and embarrassingly. I feel like there's unfinished business. But yet, next year kind of appears to me like it could be a transition year - a gateway year to some special times to come. Are the Yankees allowed to have a down year in this day and age? What if they miss the playoffs because they don't mortgage their future to buy some short term fixes? I for one can handle that, if the moves they make or don't make seem to ring true to me... but I doubt that a lot of the so-called "fans" would. The one thing that makes me impatient is that I don't know how soon the end will come for guys like Rivera, Posada, Bernie, even Jeter... how many good years do they have left? They've been the constants in the run of amazing seasons the Yankees have had... I feel like they're family, and I want to see them get another shot at a special season that ends in a championship. Bernie may be done; if he's not, he doesn't have long with the Yankees. Posada is hard to predict... age catches up quickly with catchers. I think when he's gone, people will realize just how valuable he really was all that time. Jeter I hope still has many good years left - if 2006 was any indication, he sure does - but you just never know when a ballplayer enters his thirties. And Mariano... I don't even want to think about it. Not having him to close out games sometime down the road is a scary thought. When Jeter and Mo are finally gone, hopefully many years from now, I think it will take me a long time to adjust. But seeing how well our young guys have played... Robbie Cano fighting for the batting title in his second year (and looking better and better on defense), Chien-Ming Wang finishing second in the Cy Young voting, seeing Melky's improbable comeback to the big show and proving he belongs, and the spark he brought to the club... these things get me all fired up for what's to come. With some more great prospects waiting in the wings, and a bunch of other guys who no one expected much from coming up and contributing to the team last year, I really hope the Yankees front office has the intestinal fortitude to not make moves out of panic and short-sightedness. I want to give as many of these young guys a chance to come up and become the next generation of great Yankees, rather than being traded away for an aging superstar with maybe two or three good years left. Of course, there are some deals that are too good to pass up... I'm glad it's not me having to make these decisions and having to face the ludicrous expectations of the "win now" fans and sports media.

I watched The Royal Tenenbaums last night... I really like that flick. Wes Anderson has a style that really appeals to me... I love the quirkiness of his characters, the little worlds he creates for his films. And his use of music in his movies is outstanding. Anyway, I blabbed so much about baseball, I'm not going to write up a big movie review... just needed to rave for a line or two.

Shame on me for not knowing about this Spider-man 3 trailer until sue_tlc posted an entry with the link. I hate waiting! I wanna see Spidey 3 right now! Grrr... As always, it's hard to tell much from these things, but I think it's an interesting twist that they've apparently made Flint Marko (aka Sandman) the criminal who killed Ben Parker. That should certainly make things a lot more personal for poor Pete. And SWEETNESS! Harry's goin' Goblin on us, baby... that's my boy... the Goblin lives on!

So NaNoWriMo, I've changed course (which is actually what I've been planning since probably day five, but I've finally implemented it): I'm using the month to finish an old, half-completed draft I started over a year ago. So this makes word counts kind of irrelevant - I'm not going to win NaNo this year, and I don't mind in the least. But I am still trying to stay in the spirit of the month, and just bang out a rough draft without worrying too much about editing as I go. And I still have a very concrete goal to shoot for, which seems to help me. So I'm in the middle of Chapter Five, of Eight. That's more or less how I'll be tracking this thing as I go forward.

Oh, and I liked this Quiz - "Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?"

You Belong in Soho

Although you may not be a professional artist, you do dabble in one form of art or another.
And you indie culture of all kinds - from little botiques to art house films.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Although I'm not really "indie culture of all kinds", I do like the general artsy feel of this answer, I think it fits me pretty well in theory, if not always in practice.

Peace.

Unsure (NaNoWriMo Word Count: 3335)

Wed, 08 Nov 2006 01:30:31 GMT

Thanks to kimmyblair I have something simple and dumb to start this post with:

How White and Nerdy Are You?

Yeah!

So yeah, NaNo is not going well... or just, not going. I've been chatting with thessalymarley and g_smarmy about it; I think I made a mistake choosing the story I did at this time (and really, as evidenced by earlier posts, I hardly thought about the choice at all, which was a bit careless). Yes, I realize this is an excuse, but it still makes a lot of sense to me... I'm not sure what I'm going to do, my heart's not in it because this story is supposed to be a fantasy, and I didn't do any of the character-building and world-building I should have done beforehand. Last year I was able to kind of wing it, because the setting was so easy, I knew the two main characters well, and I knew where the story needed to go. Here I only know the characters, really (and only two of many), and some vague idea about the context but nothing about this land I'm making up, the people there, the conflict, etc. I'm glad I've written what I did already; whether I have a total change of heart and try to dive back into this now, or save the story for later when I've had more time to plan, having this prologue written is invaluable as a resource for me, whether it (or something like it) stays in the eventual story or not; it's good background material for me.

So anyway, the point is, I don't have the motivation I did last time to just plow ahead without much idea of the early plot; here, in every other sentence, I'm running into something I need to make a decision on, and I'm just not ready to commit to those things yet for this story. *sigh* I'm not prepared to let NaNoWriMo go to waste this month for me, but it's probably too late to do it the way it's supposed to be done. I'm thinking about alternative challenges for myself that can keep me in the spirit of it and still get something nice accomplished. And in the meantime I may be pretty wrapped up in other things for the next few days, so this might get pushed off further...

So I dunno. It stinks that it's not working out the same this year as last, but whatever. There's still a lot of month left... and I am charged up about writing again, which is nice. So if I can turn that energy into some productive writing time, then that's great, and I won't feel bad if I fall short of the NaNo challenge this time.

Oh, and I voted today. It felt good!

Peace.

Making Progress (NaNoWriMo Word Count: 3335)

Sat, 04 Nov 2006 04:26:25 GMT

Just a real quick check-in... mainly so I can post with a non-zero word count. I had two solid days of writing, after not writing at all the first day. So I've got the deficit from that day to overcome, but since then I've kept pace just fine. It's coming a little slowly right now, although today's was a bit better. I wrote something like a prologue, which might never actually prove necessary to the story in the long run. And if it does, it will need major work. But I think it's helpful that I wrote it, anyway, as it kind of sets the story in motion and can serve as a reference point for me. Also, it assures me that I'm just embracing every fantasy cliche possible, so I might as well not worry about that when I see it happening, and just do my best to keep going anyway (and if I'm lucky put a slight new spin on things).

I'm drinking broth, and for some reason it's totally hitting the spot right now. I wanted to eat something, but it's late, and besides, I know I'm not really that hungry. Still, my taste buds wanted something food-like, something salty. So this seems to be doing the trick! It's good broth, too, from this vegetable base that is like a paste in a jar that you need to keep refigerated. Much better than those packets or cubes of bouillon - this has a lot better flavor, and seems somehow more natural.

Finally, a quiz I grabbed from kelazma.

What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop."
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The South
The West
Boston
North Central
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Hmm, I guess that's what happens when you spend the first half of your childhood in Oregon and the second half in Upstate New York. But I will never - NEVER - call soda "pop".

Peace.

NaNo? NaYes. (NaNoWriMo Word Count: 0)

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 23:52:20 GMT

Well, the zero in my post title might be somewhat disheartening, but the fact that I listed the word count at all should tell you something. I'm going to give it my best effort, within reason. Hopefully I'll try to write some tonight. I think I've got my story idea. Now I feel like I'm wasting precious words on something other than my novel... hehe...

In other news... hmm, I have nothing else to say, really. I might start putting up locked entries. I know I've threatened this before and never really followed through, and this might be the same old story. We'll see. If I do, I'll still probably try to post publicly from time to time. But I'm just sayin'... if you're reading this journal and you don't have an LJ account, it's possible you'll be missing things. It's also possible that you won't. Who can say? Maybe I'm just trying to get people onto LJ...

Enough of that. That's it. Short post. Laters!

Peace.

NaNo? Oh, Pooh.

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 04:06:54 GMT

Erm... it's like an hour away from the beginning of NaNoWriMo. And I still haven't really made a commitment to do it. But I haven't decided not to do it either. I would have been panicking at this point last year, but I'm really calm about it right now. I think I'm going to do it... but I'm still not sure. I have no idea what I want to write about. That seems bad, but it's not a huge problem yet. If I wake up tomorrow and decide that I'm going to do it, then I'll give it my best effort. But if the rest of my life gets too full, and makes it too costly to devote my time to NaNo, then I won't be afraid to ditch it and I won't feel like a failure. But I'll try not to let that happen; as I mentioned before, if I approach it right, it shouldn't take an inordinate amount of time. I can find plenty of ways I waste time right now that I can replace with NaNo-ing. So it would have to be some significant thing demanding my attention to make me give up the NaNo attempt. Otherwise, it's just a cop out, if I say I don't have time for it.

I was re-reading my NaNovel from last year... it's weird, I feel like I shouldn't like it, but I really do. I mean, of course there are mistakes and problems - it was a rough draft written at a pace that didn't allow time for fixing things or thinking everything through. But the important elements of the story... they really grab me. I don't know, I'm not saying this means anything at all, there's no way I can be objective about my own writing. But I would have expected that I'd hate it afterwards, and I don't. So at least I can be happy that I wrote the story I wanted to write, (at least the rough draft of it) - whether anyone else thinks it's good, I did what I set out to do. That's pretty slick, really. I think I need to let people read it... I wanted to fix a million things before I did, but I think it's going to be a while before I have a polished draft of it. We'll see... I'm still very wary of sharing my work with people.

So maybe I'll have another post soon to give my final decision on the NaNo thing. Of course, if I go silent again, you can assume I decided not to after all. But I think I will... I think I will... (I blame thessalymarley by the way, if I do... hehe...)

Before I go, I'll put the answer to my music meme (remember that?) behind a cut, and also another random meme I did a long time ago and saved.

The answers to my music meme:

1. Supper's Ready - Genesis
2. The Drop - Peter Gabriel
3. In the Rapids - Genesis
4. Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd
5. Misunderstanding - Genesis
6. Anyway - Genesis
7. Father, Son - Peter Gabriel
8. All My Roads - Colin Raye
9. I Wish it Would Rain Down - Phil Collins
10. Shelter - Ray LeMontagne
11. Bring it on Home - Led Zeppelin
12. You Do - Aimee Mann
13. Octopus' Garden - The Beatles
14. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
15. The Rising - Bruce Springsteen
16. The Fountain of Salmacis - Genesis
17. Your Love is the Place Where I Come From - Teenage Fanclub
18. Bullet the Blue Sky - U2
19. Rosalita (Come Out Tonight) - Bruce Springsteen
20. Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel
21. Warning Sign - Coldplay
22. Pancho and Lefty - Willie and Merle
23. Hurt - Johnny Cash
24. More Than This - Roxy Music
25. Positivity - Suede
26. Something - The Beatles
27. The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
28. Green Eyes - Coldplay
29. Susan - Aimee Mann
30. Kiss That Frog - Peter Gabriel
31. New York - U2
32. Don't Know Why - Norah Jones
33. This Year's Love - David Gray
34. I Have Forgiven Jesus - Morrissey
35. Bitterblue - Cat Stevens
36. Anything But Down - Sheryl Crow
37. Watcher of the Skies - Genesis
38. I Know What I Like - Genesis
39. Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine
40. Tampa to Tulsa - The Jayhawks

And here, I think I agree with this for the most part:

Indulgence is not a bad word as far as you're concerned, your confidence in being yourself is what matters more than all that.The most loyal of friends and always good fun to be around, everyone needs someone like you in their life.
Take this quiz!

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I guess I am just a silly old bear.

Peace.

National Novel Writing Month Approaches...

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 00:47:12 GMT

I'll have to decide pretty soon if I'm going to participate in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) again. It was a great experience last year, and it helped me to get a lot of good writing done. It certainly livened up my livejournal for a good month or so, too... Well, I'll have to think about it a little bit. As far as time commitment, it's really not as bad as it sounds if I do it right. That's a big if, obviously. But throwing out all of the planning and plotting, worrying and stalling, the actual writing per day only comes to about an hour and a half. That gets me to 50,000 words at the end of November.

Anyway, if I'm going to do it, I need to do a few things before November 1:

1. Commit to participating wholeheartedly. Otherwise I'll just end up taking a half-assed swing at it and quit when I get a little behind *snicker*. There were so many times last year when it would have been so easy to throw in the towel, but I was determined to give it my best shot. (Holy mixed metaphors and cliches, Batman!) With a week left I didn't think I'd make it, but I still managed to keep trying, and make myself do as well as I could. And lo and behold, I got to 50,000 words with hours to spare. But the point is, I didn't quit, even when I thought that winning was impossible; I wanted to at least give it whatever I could. That's because I had that committed attitude from the very start.

2. I need to decide what the story is going to be about, and put as much thought as possible into the characters and plot. Maybe even do some "research" (that word kind of frightens me when applied to writing fiction; when things start to get too structured I just start to notice all of the flaws...) But I'm losing my focus here. The point is, even though I didn't really know much about the meat of my story last year, I had an idea I had been turning over in my head for a while about the main characters and the ultimate place they were going. And I had a strong starting point (at least I thought it was - which is really all that's needed. If it turns out it sucks, I can edit it later, but at least it launches me solidly into writing the novel.) Somehow I managed to write and write and fill out the middle, and I got from A to B. I'm not sure but I might have been a little lucky - maybe even that was insufficient planning. But it left some good wiggle room for spontaneity and creativity. The thing I know, though, is that I probably would have been lost without at least that minimal framework and the light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak, that I was aiming for...

3. I need lots of tea and chocolate to sustain me.

So, we'll see how this goes, but like I said, I just need to think about this a little bit and see how I'm feeling, and if I can settle on a story to write.

In a somewhat related note, I found a link to this today in one of the threads on the Leaky Lounge. If you're a fan of fantasy stories, you'll probably enjoy this "guide": How to Write a Best-selling Fantasy Novel. It contains helpful hints such as "Anyone who lives in a hut is simple and good."

And yeah, I know I posted twice today and zero times in about the past three forevers. I guess today is just a weird day.

Peace.

Not a Real Entry -- Music Meme

Mon, 09 Oct 2006 15:35:42 GMT

Hey peeps. Sorry I don't seem to write much here these days. I liked this meme that's been going around amongst some of my friends, so I figured I'd give it a go. Here are the "rules":

Step 1: Put your MP3 player on random.
Step 2: Post the first line(s) of the first 25 songs that play, no matter how embarrassing the song.
Step 3: Post and let everyone you know guess what song and artist the lines come from.
Step 4: Strike out the songs when someone guesses correctly.
Step 5: NO CHEATING

I took g_smarmy's advice and used iTunes instead. I let it go to 40, since I figured I wouldn't use a lot of the songs because they started with the "title" or almost did. But now I'm thinking I'll leave them in, not say which they are, and see if people know them anyway. And I'll leave all 40 'cause I'm weird like that. There are a few on here that, frankly, I would never guess, because they were given to me recently by friends and I simply haven't listened to them much yet. But maybe said friends will recognize them, or others of you smarties out there. I was worried at first, because 7 of the first 9 come from the same "family" so to speak, I thought iTunes had gone crazy and was hooked on those songs, but it evened out somewhat as things progressed. There are quite a few on here that will probably seem pretty obscure to some of you, but I'll be interested to see if any of them get spotted. And like I said, there are quite a few that will be "freebies" if you're at all familiar with the songs, because the title is in the first line(s). As another hint, not that I think it will help any but the most devoted fans of this person, number 2 and 3 are written by the same artist. I think it was an interesting juxtaposition, how similar the first lines are in each of those stanzas; and they both have more or less the same cadence (though they're sung quite differently).

All right, enough blather.

~~1. Walking across the sitting room, I turn the television off. Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes.~~

Supper's Ready - Genesis. g_smarmy

2. Moving down the fuselage
Toward the open door
Catch you looking down outside
To see what lies ahead.

3. Moving down the water
John is drifting out of sight
Its only at the turning point
That you find out how you fight.

~~4. [random gibberish] Hello (hello, hello) is there anybody in there? Just nod if you can hear me... is there anyone at home?~~

Comfortably Numb - Pink Floyd. witchchylde

~~5. There must be some misunderstanding, there must be some kind of mistake, I waited in the rain for hours, you were late.~~

Misunderstanding - Genesis. g_smarmy

6. All the pumping's nearly over for my sweet heart; this is the one for me.

7. Father, son, locked as one, in this empty room; Spine against spine, yours against mine, until the warmth comes through.

~~8. Looking back from where I stand tonight, I wouldn't change a thing about my life.~~

All My Roads - Colin Raye. thessalymarley

~~9. You know I never meant to see you again, but I only passed by as a friend (yeah).~~

I Wish It Would Rain Down - Phil Collins. thessalymarley

~~10. I guess you don't need it, I guess you don't want me to repeat it, but everything I have to give, I give to you.~~

Shelter - Ray LaMontagne. g_smarmy

11. Baby, baby, I'm gonna bring it on home to you. I've got my ticket, I've got that load. Got up, gone higher, all aboard.

~~12. You stay the night at his house, with no ride to work; and I'm the one who tells you, he's another jerk.~~

You Do - Aimee Mann. g_smarmy

~~13. I'd like to be under the sea, in an octopus's garden in the shade. He'd let us in, knows where we've been, in his octopus's garden in the shade.~~

Octopus's Garden - The Beatles. thessalymarley

~~14. If it keeps on rainin' the levee's going to break; if it keeps on raining, the levee's going to break. When the levee breaks, you have no place to stay.~~

When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin. g_smarmy

15. Can't see nothin' in front of me, can't see nothin' coming up behind. I make my way through this darkness, I can't feel nothing but this chain that binds me.

16. From a dense forest of tall, dark pinewood, Mount Ida rises like an island. Within a hidden cave, nymphs had kept a child: Hermaphroditus, son of gods (so afraid of their love).

~~17. Your sadness don't lie, your feelings can't hide, you always know why, but your reasons are sly.~~

Your Love Is The Place Where I come From - Teenage Fanclub. g_smarmy

~~18. In the howling wind, comes a stinging rain, see it driving nails into the soles on the tree of pain.~~

Bullet the Blue Sky - U2. thessalymarley

19. Spread out now Rosie doctor come cut loose her mama's reins. You know playin' blind man's bluff is a little baby's game.

20. Climbin' up on Solsbury Hill, I could see the city lights. Wind was blowing, time stood still, eagle flew out of the night. He was something to observe, came in close, I heard a voice. Standing, stretching, every nerve, I had to listen, I had no choice.

Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel. thessalymarley

~~21. A warning sign, I missed the good part, then I realized, I started looking and the bubble burst, I started looking for excuses.~~

Warning Sign - Coldplay. g_smarmy and hollyohara

~~22. Living on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean. Now you wear your skin like iron, your breath as hard as kerosene.~~

Pancho & Lefty - Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. thessalymarley

~~23. I hurt myself today, to see if I still feel. I focused on the pain, the only thing that's real.~~

Hurt - Johnny Cash. thessalymarley

24. I could feel at the time, there was no way of knowing, followed dreams in the night, who could say where they're going?

~~25. You say what you want to say, your diamonds are drops of rain, your smile is your credit card, and your currency is your love.~~

Positivity - Suede. g_smarmy

~~26. Something in the way she moves attracts me like no other lover. Something in the way she woos me...~~

Something - The Beatles. thessalymarley

~~27. Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again. Because a vision softly creeping left its seeds while I was sleeping. And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains.~~

The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel. kelazma

~~28. Honey you are a rock upon which I stand, and I come here to talk, I hope you understand.~~

Green Eyes - Coldplay. g_smarmy

~~29. Oh Susan, you were clued-in, you knew just how this thing would go.~~

Susan - Aimee Mann. g_smarmy

~~30. (Hey, jump in the water) Sweet little princess, let me introduce his frogness; you alone can get him singing, he's all puffed-up, gonna be your king.~~

Kiss That Frog - Peter Gabriel. g_smarmy

31. In New York freedom looks like
Too many choices
In New York I found a friend
To drown out the other voices.

New York - U2. g_smarmy

~~32. I waited 'till I saw the sun, don't know why I didn't come, I left you by the house of fun, I don't know why I didn't come.~~

Don't Know Why - Norah Jones. kimberly_elf

~~33. This Year's Love had better last, heaven knows it's high time, I've been waiting on my own too long.~~

This Year's Love - David Gray. g_smarmy and hollyohara

~~34. I was a good kid, I wouldn't do you no harm, I was a nice kid, with a nice paper route. Forgive me any pain I may have brought to you, with God's help I know I'll always be near to you.~~

I Have Forgiven Jesus - Morrissey. g_smarmy

~~35. I gave my last chance to you, don't hand it back to me, bitterblue. Oh, bitterblue. 'Cause I've done all one man can do, don't pass me up, oh bitterblue. Oh, bitterblue.~~

Bitterblue - Cat Stevens. g_smarmy

36. I light your cigarettes, I bring you apples from the vine, how quickly you forget, I run the bath and pour the wine.

37. Watcher of the skies, watcher of all. His is a world alone, no world is his own.

38. (It's one o'clock and time for lunch, hum-de-dum-de-dum. When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench, I can always hear them talk.)
There's always been Ethel:
"Jacob, wake up! You've got to tidy your room now."
And then Mister Lewis:
"Isn't it time that he was out on his own?"

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) - Genesis. g_smarmy

~~39. I'm thinking it's a sign, that the freckles in our eyes are mirror images and when we kiss they're perfectly aligned.~~

Such Great Heights - Iron & Wine. thessalymarley

~~40. Tampa to Tulsa, just one day over, thinkin' it over. There's a card game in the back seat, they're throwing dice in the aisle. And the driver just smiles.~~

Tampa to Tulsa - The Jayhawks. g_smarmy

Maybe when enough time has passed, I'll post all of the answers if anyone cares to see them.

Edit: I forgot to mention, I did cheat once. I skipped a song because the lyrics were in Swedish and I couldn't understand them, let alone begin to try spelling them.

Peace.

My Soundtrack - Part Two

Sat, 26 Aug 2006 03:08:44 GMT

Well, let's see how far we get this time.

If you're wondering what I'm on about, it's explained in this entry (which I just decided to make public). So picking up where we left off, I had written a whole lot and only selected four songs:

1. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
2. Firth of Fifth - Genesis
3. Misunderstanding - Genesis
4. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin

Next up: U2. It seems like everyone likes U2, and I'm no exception. I like their sound, I like their lyrics, I like their style. And I like their sense of responsibility to this world and its people. Sure, sometimes they (Bono especially) come off as a little self-righteous or self-important, but they really do care (at least I believe so) and I think they really have a great impact on making life better for many people. So as I grew more aware of their message and their mission, that became something that enhanced my enjoyment of the music they created, and now it's an important part of the mix for me when I listen to U2. So now for the song... I narrowed it down, easily enough, to three. Red Hill Mining Town, One and Pride (In the Name of Love). I think Red Hill Mining Town was the first U2 song that I really loved. I didn't even realize it was happening... I used to listen to the album, Joshua Tree, all the time -- I got it for songs like With or Without You and I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, but eventually found myself getting wrapped up most in Red Hill Town... and then, of course, there's One, which is just a great song, and I could hardly go wrong choosing that, could I? But of course I choose the third option, Pride... and the version I know and love is the live one (I'm not even sure I've ever heard the non-live version - I assume one exists, LOL) from Rattle and Hum, complete with Bono working the crowd... "For the Reverend Martin Luther King... sing." Oh, man, I love that. It's a great great song, I love the lyrics, I love the social consciousness, I love the message... so it's my choice. It reminds me of a lot of times in my life, but mostly I think it reminds me of my year in Austin, TX, rooming with another U2 fan, Chris... we bonded over music quite a bit, and U2 was a big part of that. I still remember hearing him yell at his lawbooks from the next room as he got all fired up about justice and what-not while listening to U2. (Sorry Chris -- I'm sure I've greatly exaggerated this memory in my mind, but it's a happy one for me so just let me remember it how I want to... and I'll assure anyone who inquires that you're perfectly normal...)

Pink Floyd: Another group that I latched onto during high school and find just as enjoyable today. The masters of creating atmosphere, weirdness, interesting sounds... yet they were still able to create catchy songs and score radio hits. Well, I won't go nuts with the Floyd reminiscing, other than to say that I bought their live album Pulse and practically wore those CDs out... And it was something that both of my parents enjoyed listening to as well, so it makes me think of road trips to New Jersey and elsewhere, because that was a nice long album that we could all be happy with in the car. So anyway... since I can't bear to pull just one song out of Dark Side of the Moon and make it stand alone, I think I can safely rule out Time, Us and Them, etc... and this time, I think the obvious choice of favorites is also my choice. While I have a soft spot for songs like Learning to Fly, Comfortably Numb, Have a Cigar (and many others... no surprise...), I think I have to choose the popular one, Wish You Were Here. I love it enough that I found a karaoke version of it, changed the lyrics into a plea for the speedy release of the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, and recorded myself singing/butchering it. Yeah, it's a great song. So count it. That's six.

For me, Bob Dylan has been something of a later discovery... but an important one to be certain. His songs are poetry. I love his lyrics, I love the way he puts words together, I love the way he uses his unique and imperfect voice to coax more emotion out of his songs... It's funny, I used to think of him as a songwriter, but as someone who was outperformed by those who covered his songs. I mean, Hendrix rocked the snot out of All Along the Watchtower... I liked Clapton's version of Knockin' on Heaven's Door... etc. But now, as much as I appreciate these later re-imaginings by those talented people, I think I've developed a greater appreciation for hearing these great songs performed by the brilliant songwriter himself. Anyway, I haven't even gotten to the song itself yet. It's Tangled Up In Blue, another one I can kind of trace back to my time in Austin, just because I think that's when I really became more conscious of Dylan and his songs. That year, I had the good fortune to see him in concert (with Paul Simon, whom I was actually more looking forward to seeing at the time, for some reason)... and then, Dylan blew me away. I was totally expecting some over the hill guy who would just go through the motions, but he put on a great show! Shows what I knew. So anyway. Tangled Up in Blue. I love the way it sounds, I love the wordplay, I love the story it tells... it makes the list.

Am I getting too long here? I'll try to cram a few more in. Next is an offering from the Man in Black, the one and only Johnny Cash. And the song I choose is, appropriately enough, Man in Black. I was tempted to go with Ring of Fire for sentimental reasons, as it was my parody of that song that sort of paved the way for me to get involved as staff on the Leaky Lounge, and everything that came along with that... but it's simply not my favorite Cash song, not even top five probably. Man in Black is far and away my favorite -- and while I like the way it sounds, this one is almost entirely about lyrics. This is how I think of Johnny Cash, as the guy who would write and perform a song like this. This is one of the most recent additions to my list of favorites, even though it's an old song... but I think it will stay there for the long haul.

So there's this Jimmy Buffett song that I love. It's called A Pirate Looks at Forty. Of course I enjoy Margaritaville, and quite a few others of his... but there's something so evocative about Pirate... Buffett is a master at transporting me to another place and time, another frame of mind even, and I totally get wrapped up in this character he's singing about. Himself? I'm not sure, don't know enough about the man to say one way or the other... but I can't help but think that it's at least partly autobiographical. There's a kind of sadness to the song, but it doesn't make me feel sad... it makes me feel nostalgic, it makes me feel like I'm talking to someone who is at peace with what his life is about: he knows he's messed up some things, he knows he's missed some chances, he knows that maybe he's just a little out of place in this world; but he's making do, he knows what he's after, and he has no regrets. That's a lot to accomplish in less than four minutes.

OK, I'll finish this entry off with this song, which will bring us to an even ten. It's by Rich Mullins, a man I admire so much. He died, too soon, in a car accident, and I can only wonder what he would have done if he had stayed with us a bit longer. But anyway. I have no idea if this is in any way accurate, but to me he is like the godfather of Christian Contemporary music... sort of a weird name for a genre, as it covers a lot of different sounds, but I think he was one of the originators of this sort of mix of folk/rock/praise music that comprises a large part of that "Christian Contemporary" category. His songs have a lot more depth, in my opinion, than a lot of the typical stuff I've heard on Christian radio: asking real questions, speaking honestly, not just spouting out catch phrases and cliches like some do. He has a way of putting things in perspective. There's a verse from one of his songs that always gives me chills:

Sometimes I think of Abraham
How one star he saw had been lit for me...

I dunno, maybe it's just me, but he has a way of making these sort of grand or mythical concepts suddenly very personal, and that's challenging to people, which is great. He has a song where he wonders what Jesus was like as a boy, and he asks "Did the little girls giggle when you walked past? Did you wonder what it was that made them laugh?" I get the feeling that speaking so plainly about the humanity of Jesus Christ probably makes a lot of my fellow Christians uncomfortable, and I'm always in favor of that *evile grin*. I just feel like he's very honest about things, and very true to his faith, and I identify very much with that faith which I see in his lyrics... it's not about ritual, it's not about rules, it's not about divisions, it's not about obligations... it's about love, it's about obedience to a higher power, it's about caring for one's neighbor... I feel like his songs have a way of nudging me a bit, of making me want to embrace my good nature, to serve God and all (yes all) of his children, not out of fear, or habit, but out of love. Have I even mentioned the song? Wow, I am just not able to get to the point on this subject, am I? So. My favorite Rich Mullins song is Elijah. Several reasons. One, it's a kickass song. Two, the words "Jordan is waiting" always remind me of the summers I spent in Jordan (so he wasn't talking about the country, I don't care): the wonderful experiences I had in Smakieh and elsewhere; the personal growth I experienced as a result of those trips; and most importantly, the amazing people I met while I was there. Three, it kind of spooks me out a little bit (but in a cool way), because although Rich didn't get taken up to Heaven in a Chariot, he did get "taken" before his time... it's almost as if he kind of knew that it could happen, and he was at peace with that. He knew that he was spending his days in the best way he could think of, and when it was his time to go, he would be ready.

So, the ten thus far, in order of appearance:

1. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
2. Firth of Fifth - Genesis
3. Misunderstanding - Genesis
4. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin
5. Pride (In the Name of Love) [Live Version] - U2
6. Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
7. Tangled Up In Blue - Bob Dylan
8. Man in Black - Johnny Cash
9. A Pirate Looks at Forty - Jimmy Buffett
10. Elijah - Rich Mullins

More to come... someday...

Peace.

The Soundtrack to my Black Comedy - Part One

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 04:43:15 GMT

Check below the cut for this blogthing thing (I like saying that).

The Movie Of Your Life Is A Black Comedy

In your life, things are so twisted that you just have to laugh.
You may end up insane, but you'll have fun on the way to the asylum.

Your best movie matches: Being John Malkovich, The Royal Tenenbaums, American Psycho

If Your Life Was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Well, this seems kind of weird to me to be honest. I was certain I'd get "Romantic Comedy". I don't think my life is too twisted or insane, but I do tend to like those kinds of movies... of the three listed, I liked the first, really liked the second, and haven't seen the third. So I can't really complain, but I do wonder what it was about my answers that gave me this result.

Well, now that my life is a movie, it needs some music. So, inspired by thessalymarley and others, I have assembled the soundtrack to my life. (If I want to change it later, I can always just have a sequel made, hehe.)

So, if you've seen any of my lists, you know that narrowing things down to a certain number is not my strong point. But I'll try...

To be honest, the easiest thing would be to just let Peter Gabriel write my whole soundtrack. After all, he's done it before, to critical acclaim (Passion, anyone? Nevermind that I might not be quite as fascinating a subject as that other guy...) Since the time that I've really cared about music, which started later in my life than for many people (let's say, freshman year of high school), Peter Gabriel has been a growing part of that experience. As I change and evolve, I continually return to his work and find it still excites me, challenges me, satisfies me, comforts me. His music feeds my soul. So it's there that I must begin, and I'll give Pete two tracks - one from his amazing solo career, and one from the early days of Genesis, that beloved band of Prog-Rockers-turned-Pop-Superstars.

So I made a big list; I could have chosen any of about a half-dozen (or more) from each group that would have meant something important to me, but I decided to go with Red Rain for the solo PG song and Firth of Fifth for the PG-era Genesis song. While I go through phases where different PG songs, for whatever reason, capture my imagination and emotions during a particular moment in time (and I'll listen to them constantly), I feel like Red Rain has been there from the start. I think it was the first of his songs that was really special to me, and I still love it, I think it's brilliant. I don't necessarily connect it to any special moment or feeling, but I know it is up to the task of representing this entire collection of music that has had such an impact on me. (Other contenders: Sky Blue, Secret World, In Your Eyes, Here Comes the Flood... OK, I'll just stop; trust me that the list goes on.)

Firth of Fifth is the shining example of what I love about early Genesis. Perhaps an argument could be made for Supper's Ready as their opus, or the entire Lamb Lies Down on Broadway double-album as their electric, final spasm of creativity and boldness, as Peter and the rest of the group realized that they couldn't carry on together as a unit. But Firth of Fifth, to me, best captures the brilliant arrangements, the aggressive prog-rock sound, the perfect meshing of instruments and voice; not to mention the mythical, sometimes overly-grandiose lyrics that so captured my imagination in high school. And while it runs about ten minutes, it doesn't seem to drag on at all; it doesn't have the unwieldy feel that Supper's Ready can, especially to the "uninitiated". It's a song that makes me want to write fantasy stories. It reminds me of long, dark, cold bus trips to indoor track meets... I'd just put on my headphones and shut everything else out, feeding off of the energy of the song, which seemed to calm me and focus my thoughts.

Genesis was the first band I ever felt devoted to. One of my best friends introduced me to them, and I'd beg him for more and more songs as I grew to like them more and more. I started with their more recent, easier-to-listen-to, Phil Collins material, and gradually moved backwards towards the harder, earlier stuff with Peter. While I think now I appreciate the early stuff more, I still have such a fondness for the later, more "pop"-sounding offerings with Phil as the frontman. And some of those songs are really great. So I'm choosing my third song from the Phil-era Genesis, and again, this is not an easy choice. Every week I have a different favorite. So I'll choose one that for some reason became something of a "mood song" for me... I liked to listen to it when I was hurting over a failed romance. Of course I can still enjoy it just as a song, but it still reminds me of those times I was feeling all full of drama and self-pity... not in a bad way, just in a slightly weird, nostalgic way. It actually feels kind of good. But I'm sure that if the need arises again one day, I can put this song on repeat, crank it up, and feel sorry for myself for a while. Oh, the song? Misunderstanding.

If there's room, I'll put I Don't Care Anymore (just edging out Against All Odds) as the Phil solo representative song, but I don't think there will be. And Misunderstanding, while certainly a Genesis song, is a very "Phil-ish" Genesis song anyway, so that probably covers it.

Next band that must be included, and must be explained, is Led Zeppelin. Listening to Led Zeppelin is one of the defining memories of high school for me - specifically, it calls to mind countless crazy adventures and late night talks with my closest friends, notably that trio of hooligans known affectionately as "The Steves". Zeppelin must be represented, but which song, which song? There are probably at least two dozen of them that bring to mind a specific memory about something one of us did or said... so it comes down to, which out of those (that have some tangible memory connected to that period of my life) is my favorite? This will not be easy. Eeny. Since I've Been Loving You. Meeny. Thank You. Miney. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You. Moe. In the Evening. Aaaaaaaannndddd... it comes down to When the Levee Breaks. That one's got lots of memories... in particular, I remember a day when I listened to it over and over in my room. It was as if I were discovering it for the first time, after always giving the song short shrift in favor of other favorites on that album, such as Stairway and Misty Mountain Hop. And I told Steve (for the sake of the story, it doesn't matter which one) that it was a great song. And I think he must have said something like, "yeah, it's about time you noticed." Although it was probably more like "hell yeah," or something. Also, in this entry I wrote about a more recent moment in time, when this song gained new relevance for me - in a rather creepy (but somehow cathartic) way.

Hmm, this is taking me forever, but really I don't mind; it's an enjoyable process. But as I can see that this could be days still in the making, and just a crapload of words for y'all to read, I'm going to go ahead and post this as part one. Plus, now I'll be able to milk two (or more?) entries out of this concept, hehehe. I hope you'll forgive me for mentioning at least a CD full of songs in the process of choosing my first four... but as always I must ask, did you actually expect anything different from me? I really do think, now that Peter Gabriel, Genesis and Led Zeppelin are out of the way, that the rest will come more easily. Eh, you don't believe me? Hmmph.

The list thus far:

1. Red Rain - Peter Gabriel
2. Firth of Fifth - Genesis
3. Misunderstanding - Genesis
4. When the Levee Breaks - Led Zeppelin

When I assemble the full soundtrack, I'll put them in the proper order (that brings back memories of creating "the perfect mix tape", hehe). Got to do this up right, after all. I wonder if I should just admit defeat in advance and declare that I'm making a double-CD? Nah, I still think I can get it down... time will tell.

Peace.

Saw a Rabbit. Searched My Soul (Not Really)

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 04:10:36 GMT

Took a walk this evening after dinner, saw a rabbit in someone's front yard. Cool! She hopped away from me when I walked closer, but stayed in the yard; I think we had a sort of understanding that I'd stick to my territory, and she'd stick to hers. As long as I didn't violate that, I'd get a nice close-up look as I walked by.

Hmm, I thought that if I wrote that out then it would naturally lead into me writing something else. No such luck. Ah, well... was worth the try.

Nothing?

Well, all right then. That was lame. Must be a meme or quiz or something I can post...

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are a warm hearted and open minded person. It's easy for you to forgive and forget.

You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds.

You believe that people see you for how you are, not how you look. But deep down, you know that's not exactly true.

Your near future is in a very different place (both physically and mentally) from where you are right now.

For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

I actually really like all of those descriptions, and I think it's mostly right on. Of course I don't know about the "near future" part, but I wouldn't be all that surprised I guess...

Oh, also, I found cool icons over at lvlwing_icons - good stuff there!

Peace.

Why Not?

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 04:13:42 GMT

Yes, this is a journal update. From me. This is not a dream, this is not the end of the world, and it shouldn't even be a big deal (although I can't help thinking of it as such, which probably doesn't surprise you). I don't know what it means - whether I'll start writing in here regularly again, or if it's just this once. But someone gave me an ultimatum and I finally just had to ask myself: why the hell not? Just write something. Anything. So I am.

Thanks everyone who nudged, encouraged, nagged, etc. to try to get me to post here. Sorry I ignored you for so long, but it's nice to know people want me to update the journal. Wonder if they'll think it was worth the effort?

So I finished up the last book of the His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman. Man, did I love those books. (The individual titles: Northern Lights, or The Golden Compass in the US; The Subtle Knife; and The Amber Spyglass) It's a really different sort of fantasy story, at least from my perspective, than others I've read. It's got some really intriguing ideas about philosophy, science, theology... the whole concept of daemons is such a great idea, and I think Pullman really took advantage of it to explore some of his thoughts about souls, spirits, personal identity... all in the context of an epic fantasy series. But what I loved most, and it's the thing that always is responsible for making me fall in love with a story, were the characters he created. They really seemed real to me, and I loved their hearts: I loved the way he let them love, let them feel pain, let them struggle to be the best they could be. I had such a feeling after reading it - the one I get when I finish a book that really moves me. It was some mixture of joy from having experienced this great story, and sadness and hurt that it's all over. I can never read it again for the first time. I felt like running around in circles, or jumping off the walls, or making strange wordless yelps of... of I don't know what. Feeling. It was energizing, invigorating. I want to hold onto that feeling, well the memory of it... it's what makes me want to write, and I need to remind myself constantly why I like to write, and why it's worth the effort it takes from me sometimes. I want to create a feeling like this myself, for myself - and perhaps, if I should be so blessed, for others.

Anyway. That was a ramble and a half. The moral: I recommend His Dark Materials. Check the books out from your library, or if you're the sort who likes to take a chance, go and buy 'em from your favorite bookstore. I don't think you'll regret it, especially if you enjoy reading fantasy. And if you do - tell me about it! I want to know what others think.

Peace.

My Journal Entry Has a First Name, It's...

Mon, 06 Mar 2006 02:25:26 GMT

OK, so I'm not really that interested in watching the Academy Awards closely, but I've got them on in the background. And so, a few Oscar-related or movie-related musings:

I first noticed this story about Michelle Williams on IMDB the other day. Apparently, one of her former schools has decided to snub her because she acted in Brokeback Mountain. Here's a quote from the article:

"Michelle doesn't represent the values of this institution. We would not approve of her movies and TV shows," Santa Fe Christian headmaster Jim Hopson told the San Diego Union Tribune. "We'd not like to be tied to 'Brokeback Mountain.'"

OK dude, probably no one was tying your stupid school to Brokeback until you decided to go and give a dumb quote like that. So, uh, nice going. And he says in the article that he didn't approve of her earlier acting choices either, but for some reason this is all coming out now when "the gay movie" is in the news. Uh-huh. Seems awful convenient. Why are so many of my fellow "Christians" this prejudiced? It makes no sense. It's not as if this woman is whoring herself out, or promoting violence or something. It's a freakin' love story, you don't have to watch it if it makes you uncomfortable. They're not telling people to go out and "be gay" - which doesn't make any sense anyway, but it seems to be what a lot of people are afraid of, for some reason.

Anyway.

I really, really like Rachel Weisz. She was great in The Constant Gardener, which I wrote about a little while back. I saw her interviewed by Charlie Rose recently and she seemed very charming and genuine. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for her future movie roles.

Oh, and I decided to watch SNL this weekend because Natalie Portman was the host. She did a great job on a so-so show, and I am loving that short hair. Heck, she even looks great with the shaved head in the promotional material for V For Vendetta... it's hard to make her look bad, I guess. But I got to see a different side of her in this clip. [WARNING: lots of vulgarity, it's bleeped out but it's very obvious what she's saying] I think she definitely enjoyed herself making that little video. Love ya, Natalie!

Hmm. Apparently, this became a post about famous actresses, and me fawning over them (well, two of them anyway; Ms. Williams just made it in b/c that particular story caught my attention). I was going to write about some books I've read recently, but what can you do? I'll save that for another day. Good night, and good luck.

Peace.

I See a Red Suit and I Want it Painted Black...

Mon, 27 Feb 2006 02:43:09 GMT

My friend unjeu tipped me off to the new Spider-Man 3 poster they've released. The caption under the poster on the Spider-Man 3 Movie Site (which is not what I linked you to) says this: "You may think you're looking at a black and white photo. Look closely, Spider-Man wears a black suit in Spider-Man 3." Which for some reason surprised me, even though I knew that Venom was supposed to show up in this movie. But is that not an amazing poster? It's such a tease though! Still more than a year to wait. Poor Peter Parker looks to be facing some tough times... The black suit, while exciting, only means trouble. Sandman and Venom willl make his life hellish. And there's always the question of Harry... the Goblin calls to him, after all... Now, throw in the fact that Gwen Stacy is in this movie (and that can only mean heartbreak for Peter) and the whole picture looks pretty dark. Actually, it more or less matches the feeling I get from that poster. And as much as I love Peter Parker, it's when everything is going wrong for him that I love him the most. Such is the life of a Marvel superhero.

I've yet to figure out how in the world Gwen Stacy can be introduced into the story at this late stage and still be as meaningful as she deserves to be. It's hard for me to write too much about that without being overly spoilerific for those of you who might watch and enjoy the movies but know little of the original Spider-Man mythos. But if not for the fact that I have learned to trust Sam Raimi and his team completely with my beloved character, I would be more than a little nervous about where they were going with this particular storyline. As it stands, I simply can't wait for the movie to come out.

Oh, and I'm Rowlf the Dog. Fair enough.

You Are Rowlf the Dog

Mellow and serious, you enjoy time alone cultivating your talents.
You're a cool dog, and you always present a relaxed vibe.
A talented pianist, you can play almost anything - especially songs by Beethoven.
"My bark is worse than my bite, and my piano playing beats 'em both."

The Muppet Personality Test

Peace.

Holy Hymns and Unholy Screams

Sun, 19 Feb 2006 22:16:20 GMT

Church this morning. I enjoyed it for three reasons – "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty", "Be Thou My Vision", and "Take My Life and Let it Be". Those are three great hymns, and "Be Thou My Vision" is probably number two on my top ten list (after "How Great Thou Art"). It is a little sad, perhaps, that my only spiritual moments lately seem to be from singing hymns, or occasional glimpses of the beauty of nature when I'm overcome by the awesomeness of it all. I'm losing touch with my faith a bit, and I don't expect that I'll recapture it at church. I don't know if it's just that I'm changing, or that I miss what I had at First Presbyterian in Houston and so I'm somewhat closed off to this church. I think it's a good helping of both. I was so bored today during the sermon - it wasn't the usual preacher today, one of the other pastors, and he's a really nice guy but I just don't like his preaching style at all. He makes dumb jokes and everyone sort of chuckles uneasily in a pavlovian sort of way. And he has a grating voice and he screams at odd moments for no reason that I can figure out. But the main thing is that his messages usually just don't jive with me. So I daydreamed and doodled for most of the long-ass sermon. I should have worked on story ideas.

In other news, my friend Elbert sent in an entry to this online screaming contest... or something... I don't know, I didn't really read the site, I just went to his entry to admire it. Funny dude, that Elbert - he may have hammed it up a bit here, but that's right up my alley. Comedy ain't easy, after all. (He's entry number 130, by the way, listed as "Elbert T.") You can vote on the thing, and I'm sure he'd appreciate it if you did, but it looks like you have to do a text message and it might cost 99 cents. I can't text message, so that's my excuse. But you should take a look b/c you just may be seeing more of this kid down the road. If I had anything to say about it you would. I had a link to a trailer for some independent kung-fu flick he did... not sure where it is now... but if I find it, I will pimp that too. Or if he drops by the journal he should leave it himself, and it won't be lame self-promotion because I asked for it.

Peace.

The Constant Gardener, Inconstant Weather, and a Reluctant Reviser

Sat, 18 Feb 2006 22:18:57 GMT

I watched The Constant Gardener a few days ago. I liked it a lot, although I didn't find it particularly uplifting, and I usually tend towards liking uplifting stories more. It works as something of a mix between a love story, a mystery and a thriller. Great acting in it too. It's frightening to think that horrible things go on in the world similar to those depicted in this film. In this case the bad guys are giant drug companies and greedy governments. And, as is too often the case, the victims are those who have very few (or no) resources with which to fight back on their own. The filming is a little frenetic in places, which I don't usually like, but in fairness I think the style works for the story.

Crazy weather here. Yesterday morning was still in the fifties, then the wicked winds came and by the end of the day it was in the teens, I believe. It's bitter cold today. No idea why I always write about weather, either it interests me or I just have nothing better to say. But yesterday's weather was quite unusual. If this were a story about me, instead of real life, it would have been the kind of weather that symbolizes something ominous on the horizon. Thankfully, I can truly say that I don't actually feel that bad things are coming - in fact, I'm feeling fairly optimistic right now. So hopefully I am right to be feeling that way. We shall see.

Several friends of mine have been doing their friendly duty and getting on my back (in a nice way, seriously, thank you) about getting my NaNovel into readable shape so I can share it with people, especially people who supported me in the process of writing the rough draft. So I will try to do that. Obviously for myself, because I want it to be edited and worked on, but also because I really do want to share it with people. But I want to be comfortable with what I'm sharing. So... time to bust out the red pen again. (Actually, I'll probably use blue.)

Peace.

Be My Valentines!

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 00:57:00 GMT

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. I know some people love this day and some loathe it, but I hope that everyone has had a good day, Valentine-related or not.

Also, I'm feeling a little bad about the fact that I was amused by Cheney's hunting accident, because it seems that the guy he shot is in worse shape than I thought. I tried to pretend that I could separate the fact of Cheney shooting someone from the fact that someone was shot... obviously, that can't really be done. So, here's hoping that the man will be all right. I still don't like Dick Cheney though.

Peace.

Monday Rumblings

Tue, 14 Feb 2006 04:27:48 GMT

The Rice baseball team has already started its season. They've played five games! This is the time when I miss Houston the most. Especially when I consider that the weather here is brutal and the weather there is probably perfect right now. At least that nor'easter that bombed New York and Boston pretty much left us alone. I'll be interested to see how much less snow we've gotten this year than the average. It has seemed quite mild so far this season.

And to further get my baseball fever boiling... Yankees pitchers and catchers report to spring training this Thursday. Woohoo! It's so close I can taste it.

So - do you drink bottled water? A lot? Check out this article. I hope it at least makes you stop and think. I had no idea it had such an environmental impact. Obviously I had to know it had some... but I never really gave it too much thought. I don't drink much bottled water, but that's probably more because I'm cheap than anything else. I like my Brita filter, I just use that all the time and refill a Nalgene bottle with it. Filtered water tastes better to me than tap water, but that might be mostly a placebo effect. Whatever, so long as it gets me to drink more water, right? But now I will only drink bottled water when there are no other good options.

Another link to a news item - Dick Cheney's hunting accident. OK, it seems that the guy who was shot is going to be all right, and no doubt he has suffered but hopefully it is nothing too severe in the long run. I'm not saying there's anything intrinsically funny about it, but... well, let's just say I hope The Daily Show manages to make a good bit out of it. (OK, I wrote that part earlier in the evening, but now the show is already airing. I'm not watching it though, I'm taping it to watch later, so the original sentiment is still valid.) And is anyone really surprised that an aged, triggerhappy misanthrope accidentally shot his hunting buddy?

Last item - another silly blogthing. I assume that it says equally nice things about all possible eye colors, but it gave me a warm fuzzy feeling nonetheless. And, oddly enough, it was right - my eyes are brown. Or, I guess that means I have the eye color that I "should have". Whatever.

Your Eyes Should Be Brown

Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom

What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Peace.