Religion

Oh boy I'm going to get some looks for this one. But fuck it.

Recently my father has been helping with the editing of my novel. He recently read "Eric" a priest character and his reaction to the impending end of the world. My father acted like he found my manifesto to start up the Fourth Reich. He had some big problems with it. He went as far as to say he felt it had no purpose with the story. But I am not here to talk about that, this is about what he said after.

He then went into a religion tangent about his own beliefs and how much he regrets that he didn't discuss it with me and blah blah blah.

That shit became extremely uncomfortable.

Let me break it down to you this way. Whatever I believe (or don't) is nobodies business. I DO NOT LIKE TALKING ABOUT RELIGION. AT ALL. It puts me at unease immensely. Everybody has that one subject they don't like discussing. For some people it is politics. For me it is religion.

What my dad does or prays or doesn't pray, I don't care either. I know I sound like a dick but I don't want to hear about it. He needs to keep that shit to himself. I do not want to know it.

Furthermore, his boo hooing over not talking about it with me, he really needs to wake up and smell the fucking coffee. This talk along with a few others we won't go into details about, are more than 10 years overdue. Those damn ships have sailed from port and he needs to let it go.

I am not saying in shape or form that religion is bad. If you believe in something, great, more power to you. It's just not really my thing to discuss. When it comes to my own views, I just don't know and that's okay. That is freedom of religion at its finest. And at the end of it all, it is nobodies fucking business but my own and should stay that way.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

New Year's Resolutions

The New Year is upon us come Sunday, so what better time to discuss New Year's resolutions? The things people always make but never do 97% of the time?

I was never really to do these and when I did make them I usually break them. It was only last year that I actually did a resolution that I completed; finishing my first novel "Faith" before a friend was to graduate from college. So on this year, I have decided to batten down the hatches and do two.

1) Write another a book.

This one is a no brainer. I'm about 2 weeks away from putting "Tranquility" on the web so in order to make a bigger profile, and a bigger profile means more books to publish. So I shall write another.

2) Get in shape.

This is also a no brainer, but one much more difficult to attain. To this point, I've been lucky to be able to fake looking healthy and thin and the like but things are starting to catch up with me. I need to be down there EVERY day even if it is cardio which is my go to thing most of the time. I'm almost 25 (FUCK) so I need to act like it.

So that's mine. What are yours?

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

These are my confessions...

Revenge films seem to fall into two categories. They are the Charles Bronson type where the only way it seems to find peace for an unthinkable tragedy is to kill as many people responsible for it. The other type is more subtle, and thus much more sinister. Oldboy would most likely fall into this category. These revenge films usually make the one watching it flip flop on who the victim and the villain are and make an old saying be true; you don't have to take a life to kill a man.

Japan's Confessions is in the latter category. This is not a fun film by any means. In fact it is down right uncomfortable. The first 30 minutes are no more than a middle school teacher Yuko Moriguchi talking to her students. They initially ignore her, as catty, talkative children do. But when Yuko reveals that her recently deceased daughter was not only murdered, but by two students in there class, you can hear a pin drop.

Yuko explains that the Japanese criminal system considers minors unable to understand their actions and thus will not be held accountable for them. However, Yuko describes the students/murderers to the point the rest of the class figures out the culprits' are Shuya (a intellectual with an inferiority complex) and Naoki (a shy boy looking for social acceptance). Yuko explains she plans to resign after this day and that she will not rest until she has her vengeance.

A year passes, and the class moves on to the next grade, with a young, driven new teacher who is unaware of recent events. Naoki has suffered a psychotic break and has become a recluse. Shuya stays in class despite what his peers know about him and Naoki. The class turns on them, continuing to physically and verbally taunt them for their actions, and perhaps showing in their supposed moral superiority they are no better. All the while, Yuko is in the shadows, playing each person off the other like chess pieces, doing whatever it takes to get justice.

Confessions is hard to categorize in some retrospects. It is primarily a revenge film, but also has traces of horror, and dare I say comedy. The film has great use of multiple perspective as we hear the "confessions" of several characters; Shuya who reveals his intentions to be renowned for something and get his mother's attention at any price, Naoki who truly believes he will die and has become a hermit, Naoki's mother who slowly discovers her son has become a monster, and Mizuki the only student that refused to bully Shuya and befriends him but realizes she has made a grave mistake far too late.

The film culminates with the machinations of Yuko achieving her revenge. She has left the boys alive but they are far from it; she has taken from them what mattered most just as they had to her by killing her daughter. They are beaten and broken, and yet their is no victory, no catharsis. Despite her achievement in finding justice, Yuko has still left collateral damage in her wake. Her daughter is still gone and she will remain hollow. The road of revenge has been traveled but there is no easy end point for her or the boys who savagely took a life of an innocent child.

Confessions stands to be one of the BEST revenge films I have ever partaken in. I heartily recommend it if you can find it (Check ebay! That's where I got my copy). It easily eclipses Oldboy in my opinion, and stands up there with The Horseman which falls on the other spectrum of revenge films. As much I am grateful for the international film market, it is sad that ones has to look outside the U.S. for quality, thought provoking films. The industry as a whole has been diluted of ideas, and it's disgraceful that international studios are running circles around us in regards to creativity and furthermore fearlessness.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

My favorite holiday film is Die Hard

Okay I know I'm going to get some weird looks for this statement. Believe me, I have before so I want to explain the awesomeness of Die Hard as a holiday film.

1) Christmas imagery

Okay this one is particularly simple example. The film (and it's less christmasy sequel Die Hard 2: Die Harder) takes place during a Christmas Eve party at Nakatomi plaza. Of course the place is decorated accordingly. The use of a Santa's hat on the first dead terrorist. Christmas tape used a crucial plot point during the climax etc. All iconography of the holidays.

2) "Now I have a machine gun. Ho-Ho-Ho"

No real point here, just a great fucking line.

3) Underlying theme of family of protecting what's yours.

John Mcclane had come to Los Angles to patch up with his wife, despite some recent struggles. When Hans and his buddies take over, Mcclane must fall back on to his training to not only take down the hostages, but save who he loves most. He has think quick and play smart, for one false move could mean the end of him.

4) The Value of life lost.

As Ellis, Takagi, and a handful of FBI agents learn, life is fragile and can be voided in a split subject. Die Hard may have an action movie coating, but speaks of the frailty of life and the world matters not it is the holidays when you could be taken from the world. Thus the value of times we can be together is ever the more pertinent.

5) It's a holiday film the guys can stand.

Let's be honest. Holiday flicks suck. With perhaps the exception of Love Actually (don't judge it has Liam "fucking" Neeson in it) and the first two Home Alone's holiday films are usually coated in so much syrup you'll crash out on the sugar. Add to the dreck ABC family puts out every year, it can be hard for a guy to have suitable holiday entertainment. Well look no further than Die Hard 1 & 2. Just like Argyle says "This is Christmas music!" to Mcclane when he plays Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis", if anyone asks if you could watch a Christmas movie, you can look to them with a straight face and say,

"This IS a Christmas movie!"

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Sorry for the lack of posts

Hey follow readers, sorry about the lack of posts lately. Been really busy with work and finishing up my book. I do have a few topics stewing in my mind so hopefully I'll get them out soon.

Hold on. They will be up soon.

Until next time fly high and fly well.

Movies I want to see

As though who know me, I am a huge movie buff. My list of flicks to watch is constantly changing. I'm always finding new ones that interests me. More often than not they are obscure things that no one has heard of. 4 selections are as follows.

The Millennium Trilogy: Extended Editions

I heavily enjoyed them in their original versions. But when I discovered about the release of 3 hour cuts of the films, that fleshed out numerous subplots cut from editing, I knew I had to pick this up. It's like Kingdom of Heaven Directors Cut; a good film made excellent. Luckily this will be coming out this Tuesday.

I Melt With You

A polarizing film from what I've read. IMWY is a mid life crisis film on acid concerning four 40ish friends who meet up for an annual bonding weekend. However, a pact they made when they were 19 rears its ugly head. Couple that with their own failures and insecurities, the get together becomes quite dark. Unfortunately, I won't be able to see this for another two months when it comes out.

Shame

Now this is controversy. Or rather hot air controversy. A movie seems to be only controversial when hard nudity is involved. Or rather male nudity. Never mind the film is much more about that and takes a rather serious subject (sex addiction) and treats it as hard hitting and realistic as possible. I'll probably have to wait for video for this one too, because I don't think a NC-17 film has been carried in a theater since Showgirls. It's a kiss of death rating really; it's amazing how we as Americans can't make our own choices whether to see something or not. That rating is always equated to smut. Sometimes it can be true, but most of the time it is not. It is about more about our conservative views about tackling uncomfortable subjects.

Confessions

Luckily, I'll own this one soon enough (Thanks Ebay!). A Japanese film about hard hitting revenge. The "villain" of the piece makes Charles Bronson look like a pussy. When a teacher tells her high school class that her daughter was murdered by two of their fellow classmates, she sets off a chain of vengeance that reverberates through all their lives. It probably will trump "The Horseman" (which I'll blog about later) as the most disturbing revenge film I've ever seen.

That's it for now,

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

My kids are f*****

Chad Kultgen is the Bret Easton Ellis of the Facebook generation. His three novels are blunt and coarse, beating you to death with a hammer in regards to “the point.” The point being that the modern person is growing up unhappy, sexually frustrated, emotionally immature, and overall damaged. None of his works encapsulated this more than his third novel “Men, Women & Children”.

MW&C is technically broken into two groups. The first is the children of five families. They are about 13 or so in the eighth grade. They are bound to social networking with a furor. They are cliquish and submit to the popularity food chain. They are emotionally immature yet knowingly push each other into sexual situations they are not ready for in a game of petty one upmanship with their classmates. They think not of growing up at a normal pace. They want it all, and they want it now, fuck the emotional consequences later.

The parents are no better. They are stagnant and unhappy with their marriages. Most turn affairs in order to feel alive again. They are poor parents; most of the time they are negligent to their duties. When are they are there they give piss poor advice and their behavior in comparison’s to their kids comes off as hypocritical. They act differently then their kids but are common in one retrospect; no one is being an adult.

Going back to the kids, it is a marvel that anyone can consider to grow up normal in that environment. Two of the teen characters are actually the most well rounded of the groups and find solace in each other. So it is no surprise they are the ones punished and left unhappy at the end of the novel. Meanwhile, the other kids end the book in the process of making extremely bad decisions. One most take note that none of their bad behavior is discovered. They are not punished and they do not see the errors of their ways. Their behavior is in actuality CELEBRATED and ENCOURAGED by the world order that is presented. Something quite in rotten in Denmark indeed.

The point of all this rambling about Kultgen’s book is that this is presenting nothing new to me personally. I had seen myself warning signs of these trends when I was a teenager. I luckily steered away from most of it the negative influences and you know got to grow up somewhat normally. But the die seems to be cast for the new generations. Most will be spoiled and self absorbed and incapable of normal emotional connections. In closing it seems that my future sons and daughters are fucked. And for my kids, I apologize but there was nothing I could do. I hope for your future but it seems like instead of sun there shall be only overcast of grey.

But then again, perhaps not. One can hope. It is all one can do in this situation.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Update: SUPERFAIL

Just read that the supercommittee failed on the budget cuts so automatic cuts come Wednesday. Obama is PISSED. And he should be. Republicans can go on about not punishing "job creators" but I see through that bullshit. You just don't want your buddies to be taxed a little higher. Fuck that.

Shame on both sides, more so to the Republicans for not making this happen. The world is mocking us right now.

Shame I say.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

SUPERFAIL

As the nation continues to watch the super committee fail spectacularly at making budget cuts before Wednesday, it strikes me again how broken our government is.

The entire system has been infested and poisoned by inaction, special interest, greed, and apathy. Politicians always complain that no one votes anyone. You cannot blame us for that when we it really feels that nothing changes. We all want change and reform from our government system and sometimes it looks like we will get it sometimes when we elect new people into office. But as if synchronized, evolution is stalled by the opposing forces to it and it we are once stuck in quicksand.

I don’t understand why there is so much resistance to change. When it comes to taxes, I want everyone to pay what they should. The rich have more, so they should pay more. Quit your bitching, and pay more. If you don’t want to live here and help bringing the country back to normal working order, fucking leave! If I’m willing to pay a little extra in order get rid of our deficit bit by bit you should too. You will be wealthy all your life. Most of us will scrape by our entire existence.

Washington is soaked in money and that is the problem. Government used to serve everyone. Now it seems to serve only those that have a fat checkbook and that is pathetic. Our founding fathers would kick our asses for running their system into the ground. They had more difficult problems then we do now since they were trying to keep a newborn country alive. And you know what? They are able to do it! So why is it so hard to get anything done anymore? And I when done, I mean stuff actually matters. Budget concerns, national security, ending the wars, things like that. Not making pizza a vegetable. Stop wasting our time and OUR FUCKING MONEY Washington. We pay you to make things better for everyone, not for you. Do your job, or you’ll be out of one VERY SOON.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

I saw the Devil…and he looked just like me.

For anyone that knows my film tastes know I like horror films. They would also know that most of them don’t bother me. Part of it is being desensitized from seeing so many, part is because most horror movies don't really terrify me. The main reason horror movies don’t bother me is that fiction cannot be as horrific as fact. Movies don’t bother me. It’s what real life people do to each other that does.

So I would like to discuss what I consider one of the most horrifying movies of 2011. The Devil’s Double concerns Latif Yahia, who was forced to become the body double of Uday Hussein, Saddam’s coked out, psychotic son. Uday was a man that had no conscience, too much money, and immunity any prosecution for what he did because his father was in power.

I am never a person to wish ill on anyone, but there are certain people that you are just glad they are dead. Uday Hussein is one of those people. No matter our reasons for the Iraq War, I can at least say we took out a few monsters. Who knows how many people he would hurt if he was still alive today.

This a man who tortured his country’s soccer team when they didn’t win enough. He raped schoolgirls and tossed their bodies in the sea never to be found. He openly murdered with dozens of witnesses. Yet, nothing could be done about it because Dad was in power. His untouchable nature only increased his delusions and depraved nature.

Latif Yahia was an honorable man who was roped in Uday’s world and had take part of the man’s madness. He was able to escape after several years but he would never be the same. As for Uday, he survived several assassination attempts only to be taken out in 2003 along with his brother by U.S. forces.

Edmund Burke once said that “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” Well it took over two decades for something to be done about the Hussein family. And though the Hussein men are now gone from the world, there are numerous murderers that take their place all over the world.

So yeah, Freddy Kruger doesn’t bother me. He’s a joke compared to the real life monsters that populate our world.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Blu Ray Gouge

Blu-ray discs have been on the market for about 2 years now. I have about 20 of them right now. I am very case by case with buying them because they are expensive and not every movie deserves the extra cash. I only buy them for a few reasons.

1)If the movie has great cinematography that will look better with a sharper picture.

(E.G. Hanna, Kingdom of Heaven, The American)

2) If they are cheap

Benjamin Button Criterion for 10 bucks? I'm game.

3)If there is a 2 dollar difference between standard and blu-ray, and I know it's a good film I'll watch alot.

4)Or I have moviestop credit to offset the price point.

However, I have been noticing the studios have been packaging most releases with extra discs to jack up the price. DVD copies and digital copy discs. they are unnecessary and just piss off the smart consumer.

1)DVD copies. I bought the Blu-Ray for exactly that. If I wanted a DVD I would of just bought the fucking DVD!

2)Digital copies. This is a novel thing. Transfer films to portable devices like laptops and Ipods. I have yet to use any of mine. Does anybody really?

The studios might say they are giving consumers choice. I disagree. They are forcing this "choice" on consumers that don't want/need them. All for the almighty dollar. In a down economy that is shameful. Dump the superfluous and work on bringing the cost down. That's how to make consumers embrace you.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Letting dead men lie

In music, there are certain artists/bands that are defined by their lead performer. When that person dies, more often than not, the band dies with them. Nirvana is an oft used example as the aftermath of such tragedy.

However, there seems to be a growing trend of bringing back bands that had been presumed dead with their singers. Two recent examples include Sublime & Alice in Chains.

I wish to discuss the latter. Like Nirvana, AIC was a staple of the early 90's grunge music that remains iconic to this day. From a business standpoint, I can get using the AIC name to come back into the industry. Easier than starting from scratch.

What I cannot fathom however is how they chose to do nothing new vocally. They have taken two of their members and made themselves sound as close as possible to deceased singer Layne Staley. Hell even Drowning Pool which lost their first singer to heart problems didn't do that. They knew their friend was irreplaceable.

Lane Stanley was not a perfect person. He had a well known history with drugs that delayed the band from making new material. He even predicted his own death from his addictions. He was eventually killed by a speed ball overdose in 2002. But there could be no denial of the man's talent. His real life pain seemed to seep through the words he sang. You can tell this in hindsight but the proof is in the pudding. When he wails in "I Stay Away" for example, you can actually feel the man's loneliness. How lost he feels. That kind of emotion cannot be duplicated.

It would be like someone trying to start Nirvana again. There would be riots in the streets. So AIC, try something new on the next album. Let a dead man lie and be at peace. Stop pissing on the grave of the man you called your friend.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Musings from the ADC: Sunset

During one day at the trailers, in a moment of writer's block, I churned out this little short. Enjoy.

Sunset

I can no longer remember the day exactly but I think it was a night in September. The sun had already set at the beach and a slow breeze had raced through.

We were walking in the sand, side by side. Not holding hands. This was our last night at the resort. Come the next day, we would have to depart for home.

Home. We wouldn't have a home when we got back. The whole trip had been a mistake. We had gone obstinately in order to grow closer. To rediscover the spark. It drove us even further apart. I knew the second we got back, the end would begin. It was inevitable really.

"Did you enjoy the trip?" I asked her, not really caring if she did. She had become a total stranger to me. She used to make my heart stop. Now there was just a hollow thud in its place.

"Yes." she said. She was lying. I knew it. I just wish she would explode, call me a bastard and hit me. She didn't. Her silent approach added more unease into the air.

"Good." was all I replied.

We continued to walk in silence. Off in the distance, we could see a carnival on the boardwalk. A Ferris wheel spun round and round illuminated in a sickly green neon that hurt my eyes.

"Was any of it real?" she asked, snapping me out of my trance.

"Was what real?" I asked confused.

"You and I. Us."

So she wanted to go there after all. I'd rather not but if pushed came to show, I'd tell her what I really though. For now though, I opted to stall.

"Of course it was honey. We've had good times."

"You're just saying that." She said.

"I'm not." I replied defensive.
Silence permeated out walk again. I was tired. Not just of the walking which had made my calf's sore. I was tired of this. Of this back and forth. Keeping up my guard. Never knowing when I'd screw up next. I was just done with it.

"Do you even know who I am?" she asked.

In that moment I knew it was time to leave. I turned around and begin to walk back to our hotel. She screamed in protest but I paid her no mind. I left her one last pearl which I imparted by shouting over my shoulder.

"Know you? What's the point? There's nothing there."

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Boredom

I guess I should explain my job, or rather the new facet of my job. I sit in a Goodwill donation trailer from 9-6 (soon 9-5 due to daylight savings) 5 days a week. If I'm lucky I'll get maybe ten donations a day.

Which is great on one hand. I like to read, so I got plenty of books I haven't digged into yet. Plus music to listen to. And most importantly, I can work on editing my book so I can finally publish it. The funny thing is I get more done there than I ever would at home. I guess it is due to the lack of distractions. Plus I get paid for it to boot!

But even with all that, I can't use those for the whole day. And if nobody comes through, boredom sits in. And let me tell you, there is nothing like that 3 o'clock yawning please god get me out of here boredom. Some days I don't know if I can take it.

Well I guess when a month or two passes I can start a new project and I'll have all the work I want haha.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

I'm back once more

What, you thought I forgot my loyal audience? Never so, never.

I am dreadfully sorry I have been away for what has been, two months? I have been excruciatingly busy lately. But first good news!

For those who do not know, after a borderline insane 2 year search I have finally found employment. It's pretty good money for what I do, and it's not like anyone else is paying 10 bucks an hour around her. It's full time which is nice, but I work out of Bowling Green technically so it means a 40 mile round trip commute every day I work. I'll have to work on that.

In other realms, I have halfway a monster edit of my novel, hopefully the second to last. I hope to be done with it by the end of November. I will talk about that more in another post.

Anyways, I do have a few posts coming for real this time. This is just the first of many. Seriously I got a list in front of me. I got work to do.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

A defense of the horror genre

After recently watching FD5 I recalled why most people dismiss the horror genre, whether it be movies, games, or novels. Most consider them by only one sub genre; the slasher/body count film. They are gore and not much else, usually poorly written, and have no redeeming social value most of the time outside of temporary jolts. But to only consider those does a disservice to the craft.

Most horror is not exactly about death. It is about fear, and discomfort, and the unknown. Some of the best horror/psychological films had no deaths, or very few. For example Spiral (2007) has to be one of the more nerve wracking psychological horror films I've ever seen. It is the definition of a slow burn film, prodding you minute by minute. You know something bad is going to happen. You just don't know when. And when the double twist ending hits you like a sledgehammer, you can barely think about what you have witnessed.

Or...I Saw The Devil (2010). A contender to the throne of most disturbing serial killer film ever *(up there with Se7en). A film that expounds of erosion's of morality in the pursuit of revenge, base human natures, and just plain horrifying imagery and actions, ISTD is an epic achievement that reaches for the heart of darkness and clutches it. When it is over you feel emotionally drained, but overtly satisfied.

These are only two examples but others are there. I just don't have time for them.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

My work is not yet done.

Currently finishing up the 3rd editing cut of "Tranquillity." I had taken a few days off because my heart was not in it. On the second to last character. It is starting to come along well. I'm taking notes on what to fix, especially if I'm not concentrating on it this go around. One of the things I'm considering is adding a prologue with a nameless protagonist. Not only would it up the word count, but it might bridge the narrative a little bit. I haven't written it yet and it will have to be spot on to be part of the final editing.

Ahh...got to love editing. That is the major downside to this self publishing thing. I am doing all this by myself. The pros have professionals that look over their manuscripts. I'm looking out for misspelled words, tense issues (I'm terrible on that) etc. The 4th run through will involve me reading this aloud which will take forever.

I also figured out some other things, such as what I want for a cover (assuming CreateSpace will allow it with their create a cover feature), and a dedication page. That right now, besides the editing will be the biggest hurdle to deal with in the next month or so. It is a bunch of information to process and I've asked my dad to be a second pair of eyes. He hasn't had time yet. Once you figure it all out though, I heard it is pretty easy to get started. So all in all I hope to have this on the web end of August or September.

If I can add one thing about all this post production. If you need to work to music I cannot recommend techno enough. There is something about trance techno that puts you in the zone to work your ass off. That and a large energy drink. Gotta love my SLAP's!

Anyways that is all for now. Have a non writing topic or two on the way. Perhaps a little about DC, some revenge films etc.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Editing and updates

Hello once again. I've been away for a bit and I have an update or two.

I am currently in my 3rd editing cut of "Tranquillity." I worked through 30-40 pages or so today and it was a more comprehensive cut in my opinion. I totally reworked some scenes and tweaked the dialogue like crazy to make it seem more believable. I am also considering writing a prologue as a way to bridge into the arcs plus add some word count since I chopped about 4-5000 words already. I still probably have 1-3 more cuts to go through before it will be as close to perfect as I can get it. Or rather to the point where if I see it again I might punch a hole in my computer screen because I am so sick of it lol.

I've basically decided that I will try to self publish the novel when it is finally done. The bookstore as we know it is dying. It is sad but telling truth. As it is, I will basically have the same chance of success self publishing as trying to wait a year for a traditional publisher to say yes. I'll hold on to all my rights and keep more money from sales. Which I hope to have many =)

So that's the dealio on all that. This is probably 1-2 months away but who knows. The speed I'm editing this book could press things along quicker. We shall see.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Amy joins the club

Amy Winehouse, a talented but very troubled singer died today at 27.

She joins an elite club that no one strives to be a member of; the "27 club" musicians and other artists taken before their time at the age of 27.

Admittedly, I was not a fan of her music. And her personal issues splashed across the news made her something of a punchline. As I saw on Facebook, most were cracking jokes. Most saw this coming, but that gives no right to speak ill of the dead.

But if you are, this is what I say. I'm actually pissed off at her. Reason being, she was talented, and she could of went far. But she let her bullshit consume her and she pissed away her talent. It is a funny thing how those who are potentially brilliant are so self destructive. When you knowingly fall into a bottomless pit what kind of message does that send to other people? That one must be screwed up to be famous, to truly breathe full potential?

We always like to say people are taken before their time. But for Amy she held a grenade and pulled the pin.

Let me put it this way; Rappers sing about the gang life and the hood. They don't LIVE there.

So Amy, whether it was drugs or not, you could've talked about substance abuse, that you weren't going to rehab in your songs. That didn't give you the right to have life imitate art. You squandered god given talent and for that I cannot feel sorry for you. I hope you find peace but your willingness to self implode despite the opportunities others would of killed for is not tragic, but sad in a way you probably never intended.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Response to AVClub: 4 other accidental finales that worked.

Many people like to watch TV. And nothing is more maddening but to get into a show only for it get cut down in its prime.

AVClub.com recently did an article about 24 TV finales that wound up working as series finales. And that got me thinking, what other ones did they missed? Fortunately, I am here to educate thee. Admittedly, I caught 2 of these on DVD after cancellation, but I rode the other two to the graveyard so I know what I'm talking about. Let us begin.



Tell me you love me (2007)

One great thing about off campus housing was free HBO. Which I abused with relish. At least until the next year when they took it away. Cheap bastards. But in my time having it I discovered a series that I should've not liked. It did not involve explosions, Quentin Taratinoesque dialogue, big dramatic art pieces. It was a show about three couples on the brink of collapse and the couple therapist that brings them back from the edge.

TMYLM was a groundbreaking, ahead of its time show, involving real looking people with real fucking problems. There was no scandalous plot twists; these were plots that any age group can relate to. The 20's couple was worried about commitment. The 30's couple wanted a baby (at least the woman did), and the 40's the passion was gone.

What made this series so amazing was the level of maturity it had. Sex was a controversial aspect of the show but was always treated tastefully and with respect. It was never gratuitous or overtly titillating, but part of the show. The reason I stayed though were the interactions between the couples and some of the conversations that were so blistering you could hear a pin drop.

While initially renewed, the show ultimately died because the creator painted herself into a corner and didn't know where to go next. Lucky for her and her audience, she made a finale that wrapped up her main plot points. The 20's couple Jamie and Hugo put their fears to rest and get married, ending the series kissing in a chapel happy to face the new stage of their relationship. The 30's couple was thrown another setback; Carolyn lost the baby but Palek shows his worth by showing his support. And finally, the 40's couple David and Katie take a small step forwards to getting back to sexual intimacy. In these final moments we see that life goes on and it is never to late to be happy with the one you love.



Daybreak (2006)

A show perhaps killed by an idea that could run out of gas too quickly, you have to credit Daybreak for scope. Basically Groundhog Day meets 24, Daybreak served its viewers with more twists and turns than you usual season of soap operas, plenty of violence, and character nuances that turned on a dime.

The cast was perfect, anchored by lead actor Taye Diggs who showed a bevy of differing emotions as the "Day" went on.

The show was killed mid season but a series finale was craftily written in which the main conspiracy was exposed, the bad guys punished or killed and Diggs living to see the next day. While it did have some nagging threads (Adam Baldwin's character, Digg's character father, who was that old guy etc) it nonetheless wrapped up one hell of a joyride.



Kidnapped (2006)

Another serial series taken too soon, Kidnapped was going to have a semi rotating cast and go with a case a season motif a la Murder One before. Alas it never got a second season so the idea was moot.

What worked with Kidnapped was stellar acting. Jermey Sisto, Timothy Hutton, Delroy Lindo, Myketti Williamson (that's right Bubba himself) were among the heavy hitters and no one slouched on the job. One again dealing with a twisty narrative that dropped bodies as quickly as the shocking surprises, Kidnapped knew how to get and keep your attention. Something apparently a certain AMC series didn't learn (yeah we're looking at you THE KILLING).

Cancelled mid way, the writers crafted the finale that wrapped up the kidnapping plot, produced a cunning yet sympathetic villain, and brought the series to a close. If not for a huge plot thread involving an old adversary of Jermey Sisto's Knapp, I would consider the finale to almost be pitch perfect.



Skins (2011)

A recent cancellation that stings just a little. Don't judge me while you watch CSI: Bullshit, you fucking zombies. You're in my world right now bitch.

Nothing pisses me off more than a bunch of concerned conservative parents complaining about sexual content on television. And God forbid it involve teens.

Hey Mrs. Puritan? Your daughter is getting tag teamed upstairs. Live with it.

On one hand, I shouldn't like this show because it is so trashy in a way. Oh sure it looks cool and all, but hey I got to have a fucking childhood and actually waited to grow up. Should take another two years or so lol...

Never mind the fact the UK version is actually worse content wise b/c on British television they can show full frontal nudity. And curse. We are truly a nation of p******.

Anyways, the PTC and their right wing assholes buddies killed the advertisers and sullied the viewers down to the point of cancellation. The writing was on the wall. Luckily, the main plot lines were wrapped up.

Tony learns to be less of a dick and realizes how much his sister and friends mean to him. Eura finally speaks and realizes how much her brother Tony cares for her. Tony's stepfather, who was a joke to him and the audience, shows he gives a damn and is there for Tony when he really needs him. Chris continues to be the party, happy go lucky guy. Daisy and Abudd realize they want more than just Friends with benefits. Tea stops trying to be something she is not and embraces her sexuality snuggling up to the hospital staying Betty. Medicated, depressed Cadie makes her first real adult decision letting Stanley go so he can be with Michelle. And Michelle, ready to use her own mind for once, finally acts on her mutual feelings for Stanley, making out with him on his porch. And Stanley? Well he still might have his V-Card but you know Michelle will take care of that soon enough.

The beat goes on and the kids continue to live in the fucked up world their parents left to them. The main reason this show resonated even though I'm technically not a teen anymore is the underlying theme of how screwed up everyone is. If this and Chad Kultgen's novel Men Women & Children (which I will do a blog about later) is any indication, My future kids are FUCKED.

As they should be.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Progress Report

I have 47 pages left to edit in Tranquillity. I'm three quarters through Eric. I still got Tom, Anna, and Joshua left to do. So I wonder what I did there. I know that Anna is gonna need the most work. Her arc was the shortest word count, and I just wasn't sure how to write a woman. Cormac McCarthy said it best. Women are...complex. This will take three cuts easy on that part alone to get it right. Overall though I feel pretty good about everything. It seems to sound a lot tighter, better etc. Hopefully, I can stay on top of those.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

P.S. I'll have some non-writing topics coming up soon. Promise.

The pruning continues

And I'm back once again.

Got to page 50 of 120 in the middle of Aaron's story. I just made my first huge cut. I just deleted an entire SCENE. That was a big thing even though I knew looking at the scene it was crap. It was poorly written, redundant in regards other characters do and didn't fit with character motivations. But still it was a hell of a step. For the most part, I chop off 5-20 words an edit and possibly add some back. I just got rid of 600+ words in one swoop. It's a big deal. But that's what novelists have to do. Chop and trim until the prose is just right.

Anyways, I hope keeping at the pace I'm working at, I'll have the first cut done by Sunday.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Fuck You Green Squiggly Line

So tonight I am doing more editing of "Tranquillity". It is going along well; I am getting the hang of pruning where I got too. I overwrote a bit, wrote lines that weren't really necessary. I also have had to replace dialogue a lot since I would use similar stuff in other character arcs. But nothing that would cause me heartache.

One thing is giving me pause.

Microsoft Word. Or rather the green squiggly line it supplies when you misspell a word. Or more grievously have a fragment sentence.

This thing is driving me mad. I'll subconsciously try to appease by trying to work the sentence so it will go away. I can never make it happy. I'm always wrong. Never mind the fact that this is my book and if I want to write fragments, or dialogue a certain way, I should. I shouldn't be governed by an inanimate writing program. Do you have any idea how stupid I feel when I realize that?

So fuck you green squiggly line. One click of "Ignore Once" and I banish thee. Back to work I guess.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Editing Tranquillity and updates

Was up this morning to do some work editing. Just finished the first pass of Jason. Two characters down, and five to go for the first cut. Still got a little over 80 pages left to go through. Already cut about a thousand words out to tighten prose. I got to say it feels good to make it sound better. I'll update as as more comes.

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I do have some topics in mind. Some pop culture stuff for sure, some current events etc. I just haven't sat down and written. I am sorry for my laziness but if my recent editing is an indicator, I should be on these very soon.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Mario Puzo's lost novel

Everyone has a good idea who Mario Puzo is. Mention The Godfather trilogy and you know him. He was a prolific author of the mafioso way of life, codes of Omerta, murder, betrayal, and loyalty. It wasn't until he wrote the original Godfather novel that he became a household name. But before that, he actually had written three other novels.

The first two, The Dark Arena and The Fortunate Pilgrim were considered classics by critics but didn't sell well. Then in 1967 writing under the name Mario Cleri, Puzo wrote Six Graves to Munich, a Post WWII revenge novel. It was lost for several years, until a Polish publishing company recovered it and reprinted it.

Now, this book is far from Godfather, or even The Family, which I actually think was his best novel. It is the realm of a John Grisham novel; a quick breeze read, straight to the point. Yet, many of Puzo's traits are there. The introspective third person perspective of wronged American Michael Rogan. The underlying mob culture he has infiltrate in order to kill one of his targets. The little details that Puzo loves to sprinkle through his works; like the bit about how a small village imports prostitutes for its festivals to take the virginity of the local young boys so they will not go after the village girls. All of this is trademark of the legend that is Mario Puzo.

Like I said it is clear this book is a beginner novel, just as Puzo was coming into his craft. But there is no denying the underlying workmanship that goes into this writing, as any of his books. The fact the book was released at all, is a welcome surprise. It is an equivalent of a old pal coming over to share one more story.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Why I refuse to see Transformers 3

While Transformers made near a 100 million at the box office this weekend, I outright skipped it, and went to see Larry Crowne instead. Their are several reasons why I am not really going to see this movie. I might happen to watch it on pay cable 5 years later but that's about it.

Reasons include

1.Recasting of Megan Fox. I hate recasting. With a passion. It is jarring and god forbid the other person does better, all you can think why they didn't hire them in the first place. Get the actors into multi film contracts or get someone who will. Not to mention her character arc with Shia Labeouf was one of the few things that worked in that movie. They had good chemistry and furthermore, it worked for the movie. I know that is not realistic in a sense; usually a relationship presented in that flick fizzles out within a year but hey movies are about escapism and if I can't believe that the Megan Fox's and Kristen Stewart's of the world won't go for the slightly geeky intellectual like myself, then what do I left to have faith in huh?

2. Too damn long. 2 and half hours. Every time. Trim the fat damnit.

3. Stupid comedy. Not much to say. Michael Bay you suck at comedy.

4. Action for action sake. The climax during The Killer? Has resonance. A hour of robots blowing up Chicago with countless faceless dead in the process? Not so much.

A few of the reasons, can't think of too many, it's late and all. Like I said before, Michael Bay you are not getting my money. Pull back and be a little more restrained, like The Island. I liked that movie.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Sleep or lack thereof

Decided to be a responsible adult and go to bed early at 11. The result was half sleep at best. This is how it goes for me. I screw up my sleep cycle so much that when it comes time for me to actually sleep I can't do it. As it were, I decided to be up early anyway today to get some stuff done. So when my set alarm went off at five I stayed on schedule and conceded defeat at the same time. What is probably going to happen is I will crash out sometime mid afternoon after in which I will actually sleep.

Ah life, oh how it is grand.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

My 24th Birthday and back to blogging.

Hello again all seven of my fans!

I have been away for a while for a multitude of reasons but now I am back with a vengenace! Or at least for two weeks before I disappear again.

Yesterday was my 24th birthday and god did I feel old. Thankfully, I don't look it. Still young at heart in a sense. It was a sobering b-day to be sure though; just the idea of time slipping away overall. Within a few years, society will expect me to have a family of my own, have kids and that scares the hell out of me. Hell plenty of people I know already are married and have kids if not on the road to it within the next few months.

I mean that is what I want eventually but the thought of that now, or even in the next two years or so terrifies me. There is still so much I want/need to do and the ideals of responsibilities continue to conflict with that.

Not much to tell on the job front. Still struggling. Stuff that does come up, something is always wrong. They're only taking applications online. Somebody already got the job. They don't call back. That person I heard about the job from was wrong; they are not hiring. And it is hard to get excited about things like "filling up fire extinguishers" as one potential job offer was about. Why the hell did I go to college if this is all the world can offer me?

Sorry, little bit of a rant. But still I stand by it. I'm not the only one too. My pals are going through the same deal (well most of them). One is even faced with the last option prospect of the National Guard. Hope it doesn't come to that for me.

Who knows what the next months will bring. Hopefully, all of it will be good.

Until next time fly high and fly well.

The problem with "Found Footage" films

First of all an apology is in order. When I called the first Blair Witch the grandfather of found footage flicks I was wrong. The above is actually considered with that distinct honor. Moving on.

Ok, here is my main point on while these films are pointless. They have no suspense whatsoever. Think about it. How do these films usually end? With a dead person dropping the camera. They all end the same way. With the last person dead. Don't believe me? Think about the above movie. Or...

Blair Witch.
Cloverfield.
Rec/Quarantine
The Last Exorcism

Or even the upcoming Apollo 18. Is their a single person that doesn't know how that one is going to end?

I didn't think so.

If you go into every film like this with the knowledge that everyone is going to die it makes everything you are about to watch pointless. No matter what is going on, you cannot have any emotional investment whatsoever with the characters on screen since you already know their fate. You can not be wrapped up in whether they will live or die because they are all going to die.

Spoiler to end all spoilers. Every found footage horror film ends with everyone dying despite their strenuous efforts to stay alive.

There.

I just saved you countless hours and dollars. Enjoy the extra time.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Update with life

Been out of comission for a while. Work and stuff. Just a few updates.

-Day off today. Saw Fast Five. Pretty damn good. I'm up for part 6.

-I was going to start rewrites tonight but my heart wasn't in it. I'll start tomorrow when I'm back into business mode. I do have 6 days in a row ahead of me.

-Work is...work. Making money but bored as hell. Plus I'm a little tired of getting all these nicks and bruises. And stuff falling on my head. The ole' noggin can only take so many hits.

I'll do some blogging later tonight and I should have some new topics coming up as I work on the subjects involving them. We shall see.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Uwe Boll needs to stop making video game movies

This argument isn't a new one.

Uwe Boll. You need to stop with video game adaptations. They. Are. Crap.

And not even so bad it's good crap. Just fucking crap. It has made you a laughingstock in the film community. The Ed Wood of your generation. Problem is they aren't going to make a good movie with Johnny Depp playing you. Your are the worst kind of joke when you make these.

The sad thing, when anyone meets you, they tell that A) You're a nice guy and B) You have a deep respect for film and what it can do.

Even more so, you have great potential that gets polished with every film. But by every film I mean every film that is NOT involving video games.

Look at these pictures I posted. Each of these are a Uwe Boll film. And each, while not perfect are actually GOOD. I know, shocking.

Most throw the viewer under the truck with "the point". They are all over the top violent. They have a tiny bit of bad acting in each. But at the same time, all show the potential of the films he should be making. These films all have something to say, and it actually works.

Out of the four, the best is a toss up between Rampage and Darfur (I refuse to call it AOD, stupid retitling). Rampage is basically what the POSTAL movie should have been (as a fan of the original PC game). It had a fantastic performance by lead Brendan Fletcher, a insane ahem Rampage through the town, a high body count, and some social commentary to boot.

As for Darfur, it takes a serious, real issue, and treats it with dignity. Sure it goes on and on with the killing and raping, but that is exactly the point. This happens every day. Not enough is done. Sure a few will stand up and try to stop it. But a few is not enough. For a film that was basically ab-libbed throughout, no one gives a bad performance and the overall arc of the film is a kick to the gut. Visceral film making at its finest.

So, I doubt Mr. Boll will see this but; Mr. Boll I do like some of your movies. They have nothing to do with video game adaptations; they actually have something to do, something to say. You have potential in your craft. If you stop this madness now and focus on non-video game films, you could possibly redeem your career with the industry and perhaps become less of a joke. The choice is yours and only time will tell.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

The novel is done

Might as well make a formal announcement here as well.

My second novel "Tranquility" is finished. After two scrapped works after "Faith" I finally got a completed work to paper. In 30 days. Who says madness doesn't pay.

It was a particularly crazy month as two weeks into it, I got the temp job at AR (which despite my ranting I'm still at). That became a problem because I worked nights so there was many a day when I was up till 3 or 4 working. That made me irritable to say the least.

Some of the stuff was definitely rushed especially the last two arcs but that is what rewrites are for. Which by the way I will attempt to tackle after taking a good week or two off away from it. I got myself 103 single space pages and 55000+ words. That's nothing to shake a stick at. Like to see you do it. I'm part of an elite squad no if ands or buts about it.

My slogan for the month was from Battle of LA. "Marines don't quit." Well neither do I. I think I've proven that.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Blair Witch: 12 years later

I have a confession to make.

Up until the night before, I had never seen the Blair Witch Project.

It's a funny thing to say considering it's been out forever, I'm a huge horror fan, and I've seen all the hype, the backlash, the bad parodies. Hell I even played one of the games based off the movies. I just never did it but for 5 dollars at Target I thought what the hell. So I bought it and intended to watch it with an open mind.

The end result? I can understand why people thought it was over hyped. Personally I didn't find it that particularly scary. And yet I didn't think it was a BAD film. Let me attempt to explain.

What I mean is I did like the idea of the film, the granddaddy of "found footage" films. The three main characters all gave great performances with nary a false note and the film moved at a fast clip. It's just not as scary as the reviewers claimed. Maybe I'm desensitized to horror or whatever but a good sixty minutes is them doing the documentary and progressively get lost. There were only a few scenes of true terror.

They were and SPOILERS for the two people who hadn't seen it yet.
-The tent shaking scene
-Heather learning of Josh's probable demise via severed tongue and teeth.
-The finding of the stick figures.
-The last ten minutes in the house of Rustin Parr.

These moments though are far and between. But once again I can't say it was a bad film. It just feels disjointed; two different films mashed together really. The ending was really good how they framed it, but looking back the people who compared it to the unnerving power of The Exorcist just sound silly now.

The thing is I can't really consider it horror. If I had to give it anything, it would be psychological but even that is loose in my usual definition. When I think of psychological I think of Spiral (a great flick I need to watch again) or The Machinist.

So I guess in closing I'll say this; It was still good despite the above, I can understand why people harped on it badly afterwards, and I really don't need/want to see it again. It was a filler movie nothing more.

I've ordered Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 off Amazon which should be here in a few days. I'm wondering to see if I fall on the side of the "cult classic" fans or the "this is fucking crap" detractors. We shall see and I'll post about it later.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Osama is dead. Plus Saddam and Gaddafi

When the news hit on Sunday that Osama Bin Laden was killed I didn't believe it.


It was crazy to say the least. The big bad wolf was finally tracked down and taken out. I wasn't going to be one of the overly jubilant but I cannot lie and say that I wasn't glad he is gone from the world. The man took the greatest gift a person had which was life and pissed it away in order to hurt others. And for what? Believing others than yourself to be infidels? Anything can be interpreted one way. One guys terrorist is another one's prophet.

Side Tangent: I think the fact he was finally taken out redeems President Bush a little. His saying "He can run but he can't hide." had been a joke for quite some time and now he has been vindicated a bit. It may of not have happened during his administration, but he looks like a less of an an idiot. Just saying.


What makes it worse is that 0ne of the men killed was one of his sons. It may of have been one of his sons that joined him in jihad but that doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is that he took one of his children with him because of his bullshit.


Thinking of that makes me think of Saddam Hussein, the former dictator. He poisoned his entire family, and screwed up all his kids. His sons were total psychotics that went down the road of Dad to the Nth degree. Saddam also gave his WORD to his daughter that her husband who had enemies would not be killed. The guy was murdered within a month of returning to Iraq. When Saddam's sons were killed, one of Saddam's grand kids was killed with them.


Which brings us to Gadaffi, the soon to be deposed/killed leader of Libya. Just recently a bombing killed one of his sons and three grandchildren. It's terrible that the innocent family members of men like him have to be the casualties.

Overall, these are my thoughts. These guys are/were awful people. But beyond that, they were shitty fathers. They let their kids get caught in the crossfire, and be poisoned with their crap. I think of a key scene from the show Nip/Tuck in which Julia berates Christan:

"You know why you will never be a good father Christan? Because father's want their sons to be better than them...Not carbon copies."

If I was one of these guys, I would have NEVER let my kids get involved in my crap. I would do everything in my power to make sure they have a life far away from that stuff. Make sure they stay safe. I may be a bad men, but I would try my best to be a good father, and protect my children. In this, among MANY other things, these three had epic fails.

When I think about these guys and the things they have done I just think of the one question: "Has anything you've done made your life better?" I mean all this death, this destruction, the religious harping has it enriched their being here on this earth. I think these guys have it all twisted; they are so concerned with the Paradise they will have in death, that they have forgotten to live. Of course if I ever got close to one of these guys to actually ask this, I would captured and executed live on Al-Jazerra.

You know actually scratch that. If I was going to say anything, I'd steal from Wes Craven. To quote horror heroine Sidney Prescott:

"You know why you kill people...do you? Because you choose to their is no else to blame. Why don't you take some FUCKING RESPONSIBILITY!"

So 3 different guys but thematically similar. Two are dead, and one is probably on his way out. They have left countless dead (including their own kids) and inflamed the world around them. There are plenty of ways to get a message across. What they have done was definitely NOT the right way to do it.

Apparently they didn't get the memo. None of them for that matter.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

A notice, and my international audience

Just a quick post. I'll be back later tonight to do some serious blogging at least a few.

Just a shout out to my international audience. To the people in China, Denmark, Germany, Slovenia, Romania, Russia etc. Big thanks for checking out.

Good to know I'm internationally known lol.

Until next time fly high and fly well.

Tom is done; One last one to the finish line. Plus AR drama

Ok let me get the BS out of the way.

I totally screwed my graceful exit from AR. I didn't contact the proper channels early enough and made a total clusterfuck. As far as I know I will work till Monday then have someone to replace me. It had to happen. I was burned the fuck out. Mom was a bit livid. She was wondering how longer I could of worked there and why I couldn't grin and bear it. Guess what Mom? I'm doing the work not you. I'm tired of the place, I absolutely hate it, and I don't want to grin and bear it. People have left on the first day. I've gone back like 15 times. I've proved my dedication. It's time to cut the cord. The money is no good if A) you can't enjoy it and B) you had no life outside the job since they work you to death.

No, it's true. Out of the past 13 days, I've worked 12. TWELVE. Nine of those were in a row. They do that because they can. They know how bad everyone is hurting so they take advantage of people. They guilt trip you into accepting work you may not want to do because "you need the money don't you? Do you have a job next week?" etc. Fuck that shit. They are not pulling that again. I know I proably won't be called for that place again but I don't care. They whole company is about to be uprooted in a few months anyway. Good riddance.

On to funner stuff. Tom's arc is done. A bit short and definitely going to need the most work but it is done. Total word count is over 50K with one arc left to do. It should be interesting to basically finish it in one day.

Got work tomorrow (today) then a lot of stuff ahead of me. Hopefully they won't screw me on Sunday and I can hang out Kenobi who might be passing through. Fingers crossed!

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Kicking ass with Sliegh Bells

Tonight was really good. Went 2K over my quota for the night which is good since I am writing more beyond 50K. It really gelled tonight; not like yesterday. I got two days left and it's going to be hectic for sure. But I will knock the bitch out of the park.

Wrapping up early so I can actually have some sleep. Who knew.

Two days left at AR. I think. I pray.

New favorite song. "Kids" by Sliegh Bells. Nice thumping beat over a bunch of lyrics I cannot understand. Good stuff.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Tom

Tonight was a mix bag. My heart just wasn't into it tonight. What did not help was I had stayed out later than expected with some friends, Sarge in particular. He's going back in a few days so I had to see him. Good thing I had that cushion so I had less to do today. I NEED to start way earlier tomorrow (or I should say today?).

Thing is I can already say this arc is going to take serious rewrites. I really need to shut that part of my brain off but my Inner Editor is already clawing in my brain. I have to knock that bitch back into his cage right now; I am so damn close. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Anna, SLAP energy drinks, Marriage Proposals, and Porn Star Dancing

Hello again,

Finished up the Anna arc tonight. Was a bit shorter than the others but my total is a few words shy of 44K. Nothing to shake a stick at. Going to do some pre -work for Tom tonight then go to bed. I'm ahead almost 700 words so tomorrow should be a breeze.

I found a new love and her name is SLAP Frost. Energy drinks mind you. Did a blind buy at Walmart and they were the best four bucks I ever spent. Cocaine in a can with no bad crash. A clear cooling liquid that tastes amazing. For fans of this, skip the monster and save money SLAPping your energy woes away.

Saw an article on how a guy contacted the creators of Borderlands to make a proposal video. It was funny and sweet at the same time. Who says video games aren't art? Also to the guys that use Little Big Planet for Proposal levels; mad props I've seen a few of them on YouTube. That's love.

On another random aside, my favorite song right now is "Porn Star Dancing" by My Darkest Days. It's a nice thumping rock song with a nifty Chad Kroger cameo and plenty of strippers in the video. Yes the song is a bit sophomoric; a 2010's version of "Cherry Pie." I know at the moment I sound like a 12 year old boy but forgive me liking something low brow. Deal with it. You don't get to talk when your favorite show is Jersey Shore. Most of the time I want Shakespeare. Other times you just want a breezy read. That's rock for you; the best and the worst of what the world can bring to the intellectualism table.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Raven goes to the movies

I know I might be boring some of you with all the writing posts so I thought I would break it up for a minute.

As the people who know me I enjoy movies ALOT. I watch all kinds of stuff and outside of really mushy chick flicks and kiddie movies, I have no preferences.

So to give an idea of what I consider good I will list off recent movies I've seen in the theatre and what I will eventually buy on DVD.

Scream 4- Brought the franchise back to life.

Hanna- An art house Kick-Ass minus the ironic humor.

Insidious- Proof that PG-13 horror doesn't have to suck if it is done right.

Limitless- Who wouldn't want a pill to be perfect.

Souce Code- Nifty Sci Fi with a heart.

There were a few others that were good but I probably won't see again or buy on dvd. They are the following.

The Lincoln Lawyer- Paint by numbers courtroom thriller.

The Conspirator- Decent history lesson but a bit dry.

Sucker Punch- Visually striking but film didn't follow its own rules and its ending was a bit of a downer.

That's just a sample. I've seen plenty others, and will see plenty more in the future.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Start of Anna

Ok quick post.

Good news: Writing Anna has for the most part gone smoothly.

Bad news: Behind 1000 words or so for today's quota.

I couldn't expect much being behind two days. It's late and I do need a little sleep before work. The silver lining if you will is that I will be off Tuesday so I can really hit it then as well and go through the barrier. At least I hope so. May procrastination not rear it's ugly head. Not now. Not when I really need to focus.

It's the last week. Make it or break it time. I need to finish strong. May the gods be on my side.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Caught up

This will be super quick because I have to hit the hay for two hours right after this.

I am this close to finishing up Eric. I just have to finish writing his closing scene. Tonight was somewhat productive seeing I was behind almost 700 words AND still hit my quota for the day. Anyways, I'll wrap him up tomorrow, and hit the next of the final three arcs.

Which is another point I'd like to discuss. I decided to kill one of the subplots and keep it to 7 perspectives. It's a better number. Besides, the subplot was redundant with Aaron already being there and I'm in a little bit of a time crunch. I'll still have more than enough.

Today might be my last day at AR. On the other hand, I might be offered another week. Who knows. I need the money but I hate working 6+ days in a row (and the schedules works so they take the weekends. Not cool). We shall see in a few hours indeed.

Until next time fly high and fly well.

Behind

Worked tonight was a little blah. Started to late and now it is midnight. Decided to cut losses to get sleep. Will start tomorrow 683 words behind schedule. It shall be fun to catch up again. Not.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Work update

Busted my ass tonight and wrote like a motherfucker. Was really tired yesterday and didn't get any writing in. Which is bad with my current week. But I finished yesterday and today with about 90 words over schedule. Feeling good. at 5134 words will about 45% of the story to finish writing.

I'm off to bed, I have less than four hours before work. This is going to suck. Wish me luck.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

I hate work

Four days into a seven day in a row stretch at AR. I am sick of it really. I will not be sad when the company uproots itself in a few months. The money is good but if I actually worked there (applied once or twice) I can honestly say I would probably want to kill myself. First of all, as previously stated, the days are slow. Second, it is loud as fuck in there. I would go deaf within a month, even with the earplugs they make you wear in there. The final reason is the worse; the asinine conversations. People bugged me today with the stupidest questions. First was the lady who asked me AGAIN if I was still in school despite being there 3-5 times in the past two years and telling her every time that I graduated. Or the supervisor who asked me "What's up" on my first break like I would have some surprising to say. I cannot eat my fucking lunch in peace without someone bugging me with a stupid question. So here's my final statement in regards to this place.

I AM A TEMP. I AM ONLY HERE BECAUSE ONE OF YOUR EMPLOYEES BAILED ON YOU OR YOU ARE TOO DAMN LAZY TO DO THE WORK YOURSELF. I AM NOT HERE TO BE YOUR BUDDY, YOUR CONFIDANTE, OR YOUR PRIEST. I DON'T WANT TO CHAT BECAUSE YOU USUALLY HAVE NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE TO SAY. YOU HAVE TEN YEARS ON ME EASY AND I WILL NOT RELATE TO ANYTHING YOU SAY. I AM ONLY HERE TO DO THE WORK AND GO HOME. SO SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LET ME EAT MY PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH IN PEACE.

Ahh. I feel much better now.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Aaron is done, Eric begins. Plus worker blues

Quick post before I hit the hay. Finished the Aaron subplot the other day with a total of 10508 words. Very nice. I started the Eric arc tonight with a healthy 1882 words. I still need to be doing more but my temp job is making that a bit more difficult. No matter, I will finish regardless. The work was nice tonight, felt pretty breezy when I got going. Must of been the Amp mixed berry. Yep that must of been it ;) Side Tangent...that is now my favorite flavor of Amp. Has the best kick of the bunch in my opinion. Anyways working at Automatic Rolls in the docks. Very easy stuff, just unloading trays off trucks or putting them on a conveyor belt. It's not hard work just not mind straining. Big problems are two fold. One, the days go by SLOWLY. Can't make them go quicker for whatever reason. Still got 5 days of this. Two, there is this sourpuss of a woman who works near me that is always yelling at me about something. She even pulled the "You know how to do your job" line today. I thought of mean things but I kept myself at bay. That is one good thing I learned about the workforce. You need to learn to hold your tongue and take it. And in that, I am the master. Anyways, off to bed. Shout out to Sarge...he's home for a couple weeks. I'll be seeing you Wednesday bro! Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Writing update, Scream 4, and Work!

I know it is late but a quick update on the book since I haven't blog in about two days. Aaron is near the end. I am currently at 7200 words, really close to my 8k minimum. I'll cross that easily, probably end up around 9000. The story with the story even expanded from four parts to six. Saw Scream 4 today and it make me totally forget about the bloodless snooze fest that Scream 3 was. Seriously go back and watch it. A bunch of people walking around waiting to be killed. When a dead character cameos via videotape and that is your high point, your movie is FUBAR. As for 4, great kills, a twisted ending and killer's motivation and a decent cap off to the series. But this thing will make shattering amounts of money most likely so here's to 5 and 6 I guess. Pending they don't suck. Also finally got some work. 7 days at a place I've been to before. Pretty easy stuff at 10.50 an hour. Can't beat that. My bank account sure needs it. I will just have to restructure my writing times though obviously as I can't be working late this week. I'll figure it out one way or another. Halfway through the month, and thus halfway there. WOOHOO. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Writing a writer

Still ahead of schedule but not as much as I like. My main problem is I cannot get myself to work during the day. If I could get in a session (if for as little as two hours) THEN work at night, it could bridge the gap I need to cross. Hopefully I can incorporate it soon.

Aaron has been not too difficult to write. I mean all writing is hard, but this has been somewhat breezy. I guess it is the part of writing what you know. And I know this; the familial unit that doesn't understand what you do, the feelings of worth or lack there of, the want to have you work your stamp on the world etc. This guy is part me and his struggle is relateable to me. It's not about personal recognition; it's about proving it to yourself that you have what it takes to make it.

Overall, it was not bad of a session. A scene had to be tweaked a bit but some of it went by without a hitch. Now I just to find what to write for the story in story part. That should be fun.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Jason is done. A new arc begins

Finish the Jason character arc with a larger word count then expected. I think I am going to write Aaron next, the novelist. Very meta eh? Was going to start tonight but heart's not in it. I damn near have all the words I need for tomorrow so I'm kicking ass. So I'm calling it a night. Better luck tomorrow. Besides I have to call in at 8. As much as I need the work, if I get a call to directly work on Monday, I'm screwed. I hope that doesn't happen. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Work tonight

Wasn't on my A-game even though I made past the quota. The work begin to slog which is a bad thing. I need to reload for tomorrow and try to finish the Jason arc tomorrow. I need to be getting more words then the minimum amounts per day. Or I won't finish on time. Thankfully it is still a little early in the game. Today starts a new week. Who knows what it will bring. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Jay takes a turn, Hanna, and night owling

Another great session tonight. I am enjoying writing from his point of view. I thought it would be hard to write this one, but he sees to be flowing just fine. Plus, with inclusion of a new character, I have opened new avenues to take him and actually increase the word count. Plus I make him swear alot. Which is always fun. In movie news, I saw Hanna yesterday, and I have to say that is one of the best movies of the year. Think of it as a art house version of Kick Ass minus the humor. It was startling, brillantly shot, and had a stellar score by The Chemical Brothers. I cannot recommend it enough. Outside the sleeping till midday thing, I am getting pretty used to working at late at night. Coffee and Monster energy drinks are becoming chum pals and freetechnoradio.com is becoming a helpful muse. This is going to be a great month. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Still on target. Plus people suck.

Still working the Jason arc pretty well. Only got 71 words ahead of schedule tonight but any lead is a lead. Still on track and that's all that matters. In other news, I just found out that I was unfriended by someone. I just talked to this paticular person a few days ago so the fact that it happened without any notice within the past day...from her...this is beyond cold. I don't know what the hell is wrong with people. I'm tired, I'm going to bed. Until next time, how about we act like human beings for once, ok?

Jason and updates. Plus: Geico

Currently writing my second character arc; Jason who's suicidal tendencies seem to strengthen with the end of the world. Currently at 10495 words, almost 500 words ahead of schedule for the month right now. Staying ahead is key. I need to be more that though if I want to finish early though, but it's late and I don't feel like writing anymore tonight. Jason has presented a new challenge in regards to character. I have to write as if I was a suicidal man. I think Dane Cook said it best. Trying to write a suicide note while NOT suicidal is not a suicide note, but an autobiography. On an unrelated note, GEICO sucks. Applied for a third time, still do not qualify for their little club. Went down to their job fair today to find out if there was anything I qualified for, and was given a song and dance by their Rep. She did fail to mention what I could of done wrong, why I didn't qualify, what I could do to change it. It more or less translated to "Fuck off, and apply again in 6 months." It's total bullshit. They take HS graduates and I have a fucking college degree. They go on and on about they are always hiring yet they won't hire me. Furthermore, they have lots of talk of there paid training. Training implies one must be taught something in order to do it correctly. So why I am not allowed to be taught. ARGH. I have fury. I can't handle this shit. I guess this is why I found my voice now. So I won't have to deal with this crap soon enough. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

1 Down, 7 to Go

I have just completed the character arc of Ryan, with about 100 words short of my quota for the day. That is not a big deal as I can finish that easily and go beyond it. With him done, I have seven more characters to write, and I can say that it is exciting to be moving on to something new. I can see a reason why some authors do multiple POV novels. It keeps them from not being bored. Ryan was somewhat difficult to write though not just for the content, but because being a recluse he didn't speak to anyone. I had to write much exposition and the thoughts from his POV. I decided in order to bring in some conflict/dialogue to find another traveler in the woods. I think it worked pretty well. Currently at 8229 words. With what I am shooting for, I will have well beyond 50k words. I will have 60000 more likely. Only time will tell. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Night Owl

One thing I can tell you about being a writer beyond it is harder then it looks, is that everyone does it differently. To use myself as an example, I am writing "Tranquility" really late at night. Just now I am finishing my session at 430 am. I don't understand why I don't want to do it during the day like a normal person but I guess this is how I roll. It will screw up with my sleep cycle, but since I haven't sleeped normally for months, that's not too big of a deal. Oh, as an update. 4 days, still on target with 6697 words. It seems I will have another work at the end of April. Yathzee. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

A new work, a new beginning.

I have been away for awhile. Things have happened yet a lot still stayed the same. No matter. This month is about proving to myself again I'm worth it. After a few false starts on novel number dos, I finally have an idea to carry through and a crazy plan to pull it off. My novel to be "Tranquility" might be my winner; I can hope so. But the time is ticking away. I give myself 30 days to complete it. It's utter madness but I just might pull it off. I mean I did it once before. I'm going to blog here and there about it. Hopefully on the 30th, I can pop the peach champagne. Until next time, fly high and fly well.

Tired

Been tired past couple days. Haven't been getting much sleep during the night. Been getting up super early as well to start the day. I usually do good for the most part until I crash out for a few hours.

Been doing that to kick start the word count. I can sleep when the damn thing is finished. It has been working so far. I've passed the 10000 word mark and still kind of know where to go with it. Which is good.

In other news, have been talking to a few low key gals. Seeing if anything can come of it. Fingers crossed.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.

It's Nothing Personal

My second attempt of writing a book failed. It was going to be called "Shattered Glass" and I went kaput 10000 words in or so. The problem was I had no idea on where to take the damn thing. What can you do.

I licked my wounds and found a new idea.

Se7en meets High Plains Drifter by way of Cormac McCarthy.

It will be called Nothing Personal.

So for the next month, I will attempt to crank out several hundred words a day while listening to a specially made music mix (I call it my "Cormac McCarthy mix" with Johnny Cash's "God's gonna cut you down as the main song).

I'll keep ya posted on my progress.

Until next time, fly high and fly well.