Cholos Empericados 2

I am thankful for a lot of things, and to list them in detail wouldn't do justice to them, but to think of them at off-hours and quiet times will. And those times will be happening soon as I get ready to take off to California on one of those big jet planes. I don't have much to write about personally, but I felt like doing something for this blog. Dethklok was good. Wolfmother will be GOOD. I've been watching more movies lately and I'm glad to have made that decision. From Cholos to Cassavetes, it's been educational and even entertaining sometimes. One thing that really irked me recently was that in the final cut of this guy's senior thesis short film, my friend and I were left out of the credits. It's not like we brought people coffee or did something possibly forgettable. Nope, we production designed the fuck outta that film, spending several hours this summer scouting, lugging, and building for free. A screen credit is all we could ask for, and we didn't get it. It's infuriating, even on something as small as this, to not be recognized for your efforts. But, whatever. I can probably use what little rage this has given me to boost my writing this week. Motivation is key, and the fact that I won't have any responsibilities over the break means that I will have to compensate with something, and writing is good at filling voids. It's not great at filling in cavities however. Ahahaha, I'm still not funny. So yeah, headed to California soon, a place I will be staying at as soon as I graduate from college. I was talking to a family friend who's someone in the television industry about stuff, life in general, and she told me about a really great internship program for writers out there. This program is going to figure into my grand plan for life out of school, and it's my goal to get into it. In the meanwhile, co-piloting a script with a friend and seeing where that can take us. That's about it. To you and yours, have a great Thanksgiving.

RECOMMENDED LISTENING: King Khan and BBQ Show, GIRLS, and Islands.

A Tiny Rant

Life is ridiculous right now. Piles of assignments, a multitude of projects, and none are really things that I want to do or think will benefit me right now. I want to WRITE and damnit, these things are just getting in the way. In terms of scheduling meetings with ma awesome script-co-pilot and getting writers' block when I otherwise wouldn't, these responsibilities suck. I understand why I'm in school and what good it's doing me, but fuck man. Just fuck. I cannot wait for Thanxgiving and I cannot wait for Winter Break. I just want to relax and get work done. But for now, I will just keep on living and hopefully get past these dumby dumb hurdles. Also, the new Venture Bros. isn't online just yet and I ate some nasty Chinese food, so that could be why I'm in such a bad mood. Yeah...probably like 50% is just that. Well, adios.

Secret

I write to you now not out of desperation for contact, or to let out emotional stuff. Nope. I am writing because I am bored and quite possibly the last person on Earth who has not seen the Shawshank Redemption. I have hidden this fact for quite some time, and yes, I am a film student. But who decides that you HAVE to see something to be a DECENT human being? I understand that it's a supposedly great film and wonderful and et cetera, but frankly, I have almost no interest in watching it. Prison movies aren't my bag and I don't want to conform to people's perceptions. Sure, I could possibly learn something from watching it. But as a writer and filmmaker, could I not learn just as much from some other film? I have seen other movies, ya know. I have not admitted this to many film folk out of fear of being shunned, and I don't think that fear is unfounded. Someday I'll see it, I know. But really? I think I get the point of the film. Tears, racism, voiceovers and saturation equal gold. Right?

Reveng of the Nerds

I am writing this now because I have 10 minutes to fill before the new South Park begins and I feel an immense guilt for not posting more often. After all, who would I be if I continued to let down my large readership? How can this blog grow from having 10,000 views a day to 50,000 if I don't update it often and with a consistent quality? Well, that's a bunch of hooey and I couldn't give a fuck.
Life is very interesting and somehow I've been able to keep a level head these past few weeks. The reason I say that life is interesting is because of a sin, or vice that I recently became aware of in somebody close to me, and I am trying to figure out what to make of it. Specifically, I am trying to decide if I should keep them close to me or to let them go. Without going into details I will say that this not so supposed "secret" or "sin" is destructive and goes against my morals. But still, I have a level head. I am not rushing to anger or any real emotion in particular. A logical approach has worked thus far and yes I am straining to avoid typing a Star Trek joke. Spock was awesome. Anywho, there is that situation, some sleeplessness, and rewrites on my short film project that are taking up my time and effort. I hope the film is a success and is well received by both the film community and the gay and lesbian community. One more thing to mention is that I need to come up with a feature length idea to shoot this summer. I was approached by somebody that I trust as both a friend and filmmaker to make a feature this summer, and I really want to write something out. Since we are college students, a budget would consist of coins and our resources, though interesting, probably wouldn't be plentiful. This means I would need to write something that takes place on a small scale, but still hold people's interest. So, yeah, will be figuring that out. Thanks for reading, time for South Park.

The Pity Pizza Party Committee

It is early in the morning, too soon to be awake and doing such things. I am writing, and I am worrying about, well, writing. Failure seems so possible to me, and the insecurity I feel at this second could very well become damaging. I gained a lot of confidence this Summer in whatever abilities or sensibilities I had in terms of story and dialogue, but it is withering just a little bit. Granted there are incredibly untalented hacks that sell scripts. Somehow “Smiley Face” got made, and somewhere that writer is sniffing cocaine and burning thousands of dollars in real estate purchases. I know what I need to work on, but I’m afraid I won’t get that far. I’m afraid I won’t get better. I’m afraid I’ll be stuck living an existence where I cannot express myself or make money by typing on my computer in my “leisure pants.” A friend of mine, actually two friends of mine, have raging confidence in their writing abilities and futures, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t envious of them. I don’t want to be jealous, and I don’t want to fail. I also don’t want any pity, unless it’s accompanied by White Russians and snuggling. It's probably pointless to worry right now since I am ridiculously young and though that might be an odd adjective to use, it’s true. I probably should be more concerned with things like school as opposed to my possibly distant future. At least that’s what most everyone else thinks is the right thing to do. Well, I guess this is it for now. Thanks for reading. Hopefully you’re not as sleepless as me.

P.S. I am not depressed or anything like that. Everybody attacks their own esteem on a routine basis and it’s just that time of the season for me. I’m sure this will pass as soon as I get some recognition or praise I feel deserving of and/or the horror film I co-wrote gets DVD distribution. Principal photography is done and the edit is already underway. I expect a cut to be done within a month or two and from there.... we'll see I guess. I think there's a chance it could sell as it looks good and there is totes nudity now. Breasts = big selling points.

Pavement Reunion and Bronzie

This has been a great week for me, and I apologize for the incessant rambling that is about to take place. So, I like this girl a lot, and she seems to like me, and we've been spending almost inordinate amounts of time together considering our schedules, and I am head over heels. Fuckin' happy and excited to see where this goes. People always say it'll happen when you least expect it, and I always thought that was malarkey...until now. On another note, Pavement is reuniting and I am beyond any level excitement over that today. My favorite band getting back together, and I, planning to see them for the first time (Got into them after they broke up) in Central Park. Pre-sale is tomorrow morning and you bet I'll be getting tickets before they sell out. So yeah, have that to look forward to. The short film is also making progress, and today I unexpectedly made a connection with this great band, The Bronzed Chorus. They came in and hung out and did a short interview. I had a wonderful time hanging out with them. They were funny, intelligent, and honest people which is rare in the music industry. The best thing other than meeting them, getting a shirt, and shaking their hands was talking to them about film scores. They have an interest in it, and are inclined to lend me a song or two should I need one. I'll be in contact with them this week to see what can happen with that, but the odds of me getting the rights to one of their songs for a short film seems very likely. And with that, I leave you this: A video of them playing live. Peace out dawgs.

Waxman

Kinda Weird, Badly Written Short Fiction:
I banged this out quickly without any prior thought or consideration (that's what she said).



The arid weather kept his skin in check. The lack of sunlight kept his organs intact. If there was ever a time for the Waxman to venture outside, this was it. He carried flowers, a small fan wrapped around his neck by its cord, and walked stiffly to his destination. You might wonder how a man made of wax could do such a thing, let alone exist, and you wouldn't be wrong in thinking such things. But this story is not about the origin of the Waxman, or about how his sculpted body functioned. This is a story of love and loss, and it will be told here just how it was. Perhaps it was her online quote that forced him to brave the outdoors. "I like rare people." He appreciated her attitude and thought to himself, "I can't think of any other waxmen. I must be rare enough to be worthy of meeting such a nice woman." And so they corresponded, her attraction to him based on his verbal wit, and his on her photo and implied heart. "And now I must win her over." The Waxman searched the internet and watched several hours of local television programming to deduce when would be the best time. On the day in mind came a delivery of flowers. Her address was known to him recently, asked for in order to send her a gift. What she did not know was that he would be delivering it himself. And with the fan dangling from his neck and the flowers tightly wrapped in his wax hands, the Waxman rang her doorbell. He did not blink, for he was without eyelids, and he did not worry, for he was sure this was the right street and she would love him a thousand times for coming to see her in person. No reply. A minute. An hour. The Waxman stood motionless at her front door, the flowers at his side. He stood till the streetlights went out. He stood until the paperboy threw out the news. He stood there until the sun rose. And then she opened the door and his heart melted. Curious why the newspaper was drowning in a pool of wax, flowers, and a fan, she scooped them all up and carried them inside. She cleaned the wax off of the paper and left it on the table. She then placed the flowers in her sink. The fan, plugged in next, and the wax that covered the items? It was made into a candle. The Waxman's heart may have been melted to its bare essence, but his loved burned and burned for years until she died.

What Up World?

So it's been awhile, and though I'm writing now, it will be a brief hello. The stress that was sitting peacefully on my shoulders is starting to slink and slump all over me and really weigh me down. I was asked to do something soon, so I looked ahead at my schedule and then hid under my covers like I was a kid again. If only I could sleep 10 hours a day and have my biggest worry be whether or not to gel my hair on picture day (It's never a good idea to be remembered as a tool). And I am young. I should be carefree and ruining my life right now, but for some reason I cannot. Damn that Mel Gibson "Reading" poster for making me this way. I wonder if they remade the Pagemaster, would they have the Mel Gibson poster fight the Russell Crowe "Reading" poster? Anywho, it's been a rainy day somehow and the unexpected weather has left me tired. I just wanna nap for eternity and be woken up for the important bits. Making progress on this short film, and doing some unrelated writing when I can. After watching some Hal Hartley shorts such as Ambition, and another feature of his, I've decided the man is absolutely crazy, sometimes terrible, but mostly great at what he does. And what he does is something I wouldn't mind doing: Creating surreal worlds grounded in their own unique sense of reality that still manage to strike the viewer's heart. He also makes kickass opening sequences. His timing is amazing, and I may be laughed at for liking him, but I doubt that because nobody (I think) really cares or knows about this forgotten filmmaker. I got a slew of music this week and all of it is pretty dang great. The Stone Roses self-titled album reissue, the new Dodos release, and the Wildbeasts cd are what I've received most recently. I guess now is the time in the post that I mention reality television. Yep. Finale of the Real World: Cancun is tonight and I am excited. Joey returns, people seem happy, and the possibility of a four-some feels completely possible. All in all, a great season. That's all for now.

Slave to the Grind: A Good Title for a Fictional Account of an R Kelly Groupie

So it's a nice Labor Day weekend and....I have very little write about. Talk about, sure. Rage about? Not really. But write? Nope. Not a thing. I guess this is where I go on to mention a few of the recent occurrences in my life without any real tact or form. Had a band practice today and it was pretty darn glorious if occasionally frustrating. I want to play shows very soon, but we're still in the process of integrating our new singer. So that's where my frustrations came from, being unable to show this town what we've got. Started reading PREACHER and holy fuck is it amazing. Finished What is the What? and was moved to some very masculine looking tears. Tonight? I do not know. Podcast? Soon. If you'd like to listen to the first podcast, go here and as always, I am entertained and humbled by the great cynical writing of Jake Tueffel on his blog, the madame arms. Well, that's all I have. I guess something should end this.

eh.

You Reap What You Sow

And when you sow the seeds of love, with more than a single partner, on the Real World, you become a reality show demi-god, which basically means you might get a free sandwich someday. So to Pat, the Canadian DJ that worked with the cast members, and worked over three of the four female cast members, salud. You are really going places and have a bright future of footlong subs to look forward to. What happened on the latest episode was basically this: Pat, former interest of Jasmine, started to hook up with Jonna, and then when Ayiiia's conservative friends rolled (tacos) into town, he got down and dirty with her and his lovuh Jonna. Oh, and did I mention that Jasmine is dating Pat's cousin? And that Jonna broke up with her long-term boyfriend in order to shack up with Pat? Pat Pat Pat. The dude is not even a cast member and has already gotten more face time than the girl with ADD (Emilee) and the football stud (Um, I forgot his name already. Bang somebody soon so I can remember you!) This episode has definitely cemented my belief in the entertainment value of the show, and I cannot wait for the next episode, nay season, nay RW/RR Challenge. Also, I am almost done with What is the What, and hope that the What is explained at the end. Maybe it was Pat all along......damn that albino canuck.

what is love?

Baby don't hurt me, don't hurt me. No more.

The reason I title my post as such isn't because I'm a lovelorn fool seeking a meaningful answer to an age old question. And it isn't because my baby daddy broke things off right as the kid started kicking. No, it's none of these things. I bring up the topic because of a great, in my personal opinion, film that brings love to a simple equation. The film is named Trust and features some unique directing choices and dialogue heavy scenes. I won't write much about it since the AV Club totally did it, much better than I ever could, and was the source of my curiosity towards finding this film. Anyway, a character in the film states that respect, admiration, and trust equal love, and I find that to be a fucking great explanation, even a tad romantic. I've watched the movie twice in the past few days, and though it isn't so great the second time, I'd recommend checking it out on youtube if you have the time. School has started, and I am dealing with the stress fairly well. No walls have been punched and no hair has been ripped off of my head. If anything, I'm indifferent to the campus now, and that indifference will surely carry me to great academic heights as I finish up these last two years in school. I've done a little philosophizing as well. Nothing new or transcendent, but some songs may come out of it. Stuff about attraction and glossing over faults that will eventually make us like the other person even more. So yeah, there's that and an idea I have for a Civil War Re-enactment comedy that I will be outlining this semester. My comic artists' computer self-destructed and I fear that all of her work is lost. Sad times. Casting is still going on for this short film, and I'd like for it to end and for us to find an amazing group of actors. At this point there are several roles that still need to be filled, but I think we'll get there. I just want to get there NOW. I'm reading What is the What? by Dave Eggers for the third time and I think I will actually finish it. The novel is astonishing, beautifully written, and uplifting. It is also thoroughly depressing and that is the reason why after two previous attempts I am finally close to finishing it. The book has changed me in a way, and my understanding of the Sudanese plight has grown from nothing to something. After this I hope to start Eggers' Hurricane Katrina book. Maybe I can finish it in only two tries. I don't have much else to add here, but I think at some point this week I will post a song recording or something creative like that because if it's not here, it probably won't be anywhere. Also, sometime during my hectic schedule I will record that darn podcast which will be damn amazing and fucking fun. Title I want for it: "The Indie Snobcast: A Progression of Slurs"

Laters y'all. Also, I apologize for how random this posting was and how its lack of flow and clarity might be alarming or at the very least annoying. That is the issue with my writing, and is something I am working on. I'm also a little lazy with the whole blogging thing, so that could be why my posts are always so ramshackle. Ramble.

It's the Year to Be Hated

What a nice song. Good and simple lyrics. I don't have much to say other than I expect to record the podcast later tonight after jamming with a close friend. Video of that might surface on here. End of Summer festivities have been slow and relaxed so far, and I have no complaints really. I hope it goes out with a bang though. Fireworks would be nice.

I Do My Crosswords in Pen

Another day spent in town, but it was unlike any other day spent in town. Not that anything incredibly interesting happened, but my day didn't resemble most others I've experienced. Got no sleep, which happens from time time, especially when I drink copious amounts of caffeine and have an Oreo shake late at night. Woke up, as I often do, without fail. Then, I met with Matt to discuss our single take short film and make some small additions to the script. This happens never. Hopefully we do another short after this and another and another and...another. After that, I helped people move into the dorms on campus for a few hours. Some were thankful for the help and others were less than enthused about being waited on hand and foot. Folks that appreciate hard work done for them at zero cost are okay in my book. Only a few names filled it up today though. After that, saw a few friends and took a nap. Now, I'm listening to On Broken Wings, which is a pretty good band, even if they created the genre called MoshCore. I also think they're the only band that classifies themselves as that. Perhaps they have a farm league band in that style as while. Either way, it's aggressive hours till bed, meaning I want to be up and active and in Ed Hardy attire. Actually, I think they don't sell attire. I'm pretty sure they sell "attitude" and "gear" and "dreams." Seriously, mid-life crises just got more affordable. Investment bankers everywhere that still have a penny to shake can simply buy a few shirts from them instead of a Corvette and have enough confidence left to hit on struggling waitresses. My prediction: Ed Hardy sponsors and/or starts a Mixed Martial Arts organization. The fighters will have spray-tans to mask those hours at the gym and hair plugs to compensate for their steroid-induced baldness. Good god I want that to happen.

I guess I should also mention that I hate most metal-core groups with a fiery passion. For some reason my hatred doesn't work on this band, and I'm not sure why not. They aren't very skilled musicans at all and have a terribly lame attitude. Will investigate this phenomenon for sure.

The Killing Moon: Return to Riverdale

So I spent the first few waking hours of today chatting with a friend in California, destroying the carbonated remains of soda leftover from last night, and trying not to embarrass myself on the piano. I won/failed at the last thing. The reason I'm trying to pick up piano, or at least hang with it, is so I can write good score music. So far, I've written about 2 minutes of good stuff on guitar and on keyboards. What has to come next in the score is a sweeping part that will lift everyone's spirits and push the movie forward. What I didn't realize is just how bad my left hand is at playing these parts. Now, this sweeping part is nearly finished being written, no thanks to that left hand, but recording it will be another matter entirely. I'd like to perform all of the instruments because it would mean something to me, and maybe this quest for personal piano perfection is madness. Man, I could've gone further with that alliteration. Oh well. The music will be good, and the story is changing at the moment. I still have a year to worry all of this over, so no bigs. I watched Ponyo last night with a pal of mine, and the animation was pretty gorgeous. The film's namesake was entirely unlikable to anyone over the age of 5, and the presence of Miley Cyrus' sister and a Jonas brother hurt the film as well. Liam Neeson's character, however, was the epitome of awesome creeptastic supernatural water man-thing. I would have rather seen a movie about his life instead, but hey, I don't have power over the powerhouse that is Miyazaki. I doubt I will see any more movies this weekend, which is a bit of a letdown, but there are some more important things to do. Books were bought for school today and I am thankful that classes my major almost never require any reading. I spent about $130 dollars on textbooks, which though a financial nuisance, is better than what most people end up paying. At the moment, I'm listening to a Pavement cover of an Echo and the Bunnymen song about lunar occurrences and death that are thinly veiled references to heroin abuse. I think that some covers are better than the originals, especially if the context is completely different. The best example of this is Johnny Cash's cover of "Hurt" by NIN. The second best is probably Wilson Pickett's cover of "Sugar Sugar" by The Archies. Reggie Mantle could never play guitar as sweet as Pickett's sideman, and someday history will recognize the significance of this particular cover. Speaking of Archie comics, I read about a month ago that the series is taking a turn in order to sell more issues. Archie proposes to Veronica and then six issues follow to finish the story. Now, I have not read an issue of Archie in about a year. And before that, probably 8 years. It might be lame to admit to it, but I enjoyed those comics growing up. Who can argue with the hilarity of Jughead's eating habits? The valuable life lessons learned by Archie when his team-ups or competitive prank wars with Reggie fail? The baldness of Mr. Weatherbee? And Pop Tate breaking every negative Italian stereotype? Those stories and their aw shucks, slightly awful humor meant something to me, and doggone it, this new story sounds interesting enough that I might don a freckled disguise and pick some issues up. In other comic news, I've started to read "Gotham by Gaslight" which is quite awesome. The steampunk style fits in this Batman story, but I'm a little tired of the genre, which I never really got into in the first place. Also, my comic "Shore Leave" is picking up steam in production. The drawings I've seen so far are great, and I should be taking some reference photos for my artist sometime this week. If all goes well and it's finished within a year, I will pitch the fuck out of it and hopefully it finds a home in some sort of short comic anthology like Popgun. I have a few other ideas I'd like to write out sometime this year for comics, and maybe pitch somehow if I can set up a meeting. The ideas involve characters already existing in the D.C. universe, so there's only one way to get it made, and the fact that I'm unproven might make it a hard sell to them. If the idea fails, I might end up writing some fan fiction, which I have never done before. I shall remain optimistic though, and start outlining the storyline in the next few months. In the meantime, I'm focusing on this short film that should be undergoing a small rewrite by me later today. I realize now that all my blogs are about me, which is usually what happens in these sorts of things, but that's kind of annoying. I'm pretty certain that half of my sentences include the words "I" and "me." Repetition is key, some say, but to me, it's not cool most of the time. But what can I do? Keep writing and working on becoming better so that by the time I'm 25, I'll have done something with my life that creates a rabid fan base. Oh yes, fans. With custom shirts and websites declaring my awesomeness. Anywho, I'm done writing for now, but I'm sure I'll post something soon again. Hope everything is right with you and yours.

A Lame Posting, or how do you love something that doesn't exist?

You make it exist, silly. And if you can't do that, you fool yourself into believing it exists. This practice is key to a strange phenomenon known as Scientology, which is not the topic of the day. Today's topic is.... the ever shortening generation gap and why I am actually a 35 year old man. Since the stone age, when old men of 24 would beat their moving meals to death with dull rocks and middle aged men of 13 would slash their dinners with sharpened objects, this gap has existed. A possible reason for this could be advances in technology and the quality of living one's used to. My grandfather's generation had wooden toys and polio growing up. My dad's had hula hoops and more vaccinations available. Because of these things, the gap was present. Technology has shifted and grown so much recently that the gaps are occurring in smaller intervals. I belong to the Myspace generation, technically, as I was a high school youth when it hit. Kids three years younger than me are part of the Twitter generation. Hey, I remember when there was only one MTV and they had music playing! The damn kids age 16 these days don't know how good we had it. And I wonder, is good taste disappearing? I grew up on Daria and shows that had some real verbal wit to them. Because of these things and other parts of my life, I seem to enjoy things that are "good" and know the difference from these "good" things and "bad" ones. Maybe it's the way your raised and what entertainment is present in your home that determines what generation you actually belong to. Maybe it's the choices you made when you were 14 that decide who you're going to be and what you're going to like and ascribe yourself to when you're older. I read The Fountainhead when I was 13. I bought my first Pavement album when I was 15. These are trendyish things that were popular or at least in fashion 15 and 66 years ago and for that and Sid Caesar and SOAP being on my television, I feel 35. I really don't know where I'm going with this anymore and to be honest, I never did know where I was headed in writing this post. I guess what I'm saying is I don't feel like I fit in with most people my age, and I kind of resent the tastes of my generation. Wow. That summed up several sentences of gooblygocked whatittude. On some side notes, District 9 was absolutely great and I might watch 4 other movies today if time abides. I will also return to the radio with The Bearded Amazon Giant show on Thursday night.

Starlings in the Slipstream

As the last few rays of the Summer sun pour in before the semester begins, so do my friends from afar. Tonight, Derek gets back and I am overjoyed. He's a very dedicated animator and one of the most honest, doggone decent people you'll ever meet. You can find his blog here and if you ever have a flat tire, he'll help you out with a smile. Tomorrow and this weekend bring in a few other pals of mine, and I can't wait for them either. Root beer floats sound good to me and maybe I can convince one of them it's a good idea as well. Today was fun filled and busy in that I have started planning out a short film with two other people. 4.5 hours of breaking down the script, analyzing characters, mapping out the story and physical progression of the characters throughout the location, and some laughs as well. I have high hopes for this short and trust it will go well, knowing that the director and cinematographer are tops. We work quite well together and I definitely want to start another short as soon as this one wraps( Funny that I say this considering not a thing has been shot yet, but filmmaking can be an addictive pleasure and I'm always looking to score). One thing we discussed at length today was casting, which is very crucial to the success of any film, short or feature, budget or shoestrings. I wonder how many people come to audition for us, and hope for the best and brightest have an interest in the project. The film has 13 speaking roles, and each plays an important role in tying together the relationships and themes throughout. So yeah, need to find 13 good actors or people that can fit those parts pretty soon. If you know any guys or gals between the ages of 19 and 30, please let me know! The goal is shoot sometime during the first two weeks of September if that helps you in your decision making at all. Also, we are looking for a Spanish speaking couple if you know any. Positions in the Art Department still need to be filled if you have an interest in set design or just like making and arranging things for kindly bearded taskmasters like the director. I'm pretty much done with this post and imagine I'll write something at the end of the weekend recounting my experiences doing some volunteer work and letting you in on my Root Beer Float recipe (it's shockingly good). Seeing District 9 tonight and am excited for that. Saw The Hurt Locker last night and thought it was great (to the friends I forgot to call, well, I forgot. Sorry. Really). Will see Ponyo tomorrow and possibly 500 Days of Summer as well. I might have to start wearing sunglasses indoors to fix the sting in my eyes from staring at the cinema screens. Oh, and a plug for my friend Jake's blog. Still the funniest thing I read online, and you should read it too.

It's Bizness Time

Woohoo y'all! I am starting this blog this way because I am too excited today. I really mean too excited, because my joy levels are peaking for something which may not be that interesting to anyone else. As you may know, I work at a radio station. It's great and I feel much at home here in the offices at KRUX. Today I got my first official gift from the station: BIZNESS CARDS. They have my name, title, phone number, fax machine info (Someday I will fax something to someone. It will probably be something dirty), and a nifty logo of the station. I feel incredibly legit right now and want to hand these out to everyone. I may start wearing fancier clothes. What I will do for sure is treasure them. The feeling I'm experiencing is akin to that of a small child getting a holographic Charizard card, only I know I can actually do some good with the cards I have. Networking will be made easier for sure, and maybe I can secure some personal interviews with these when I attend shows. I've most been doing phone interviews, but I'd like to do more in the field and you know, actually meet the people I'm talking to. So, yeah, that's why I'm in such a good mood. I also got a placard with my name on my office door. It's pretty boss and again, I feel legit. Too legit to quit. And I will never quit or jeopardize my place here because I love it too much. Hopefully I can keep doing this until I graduate and maybe use the experience to get a job if needed in the future. Perhaps I could be a shock-jock, but I also might be too polite for that. One person who is not polite is the contestant on the show Real Chance of Love 2: Back in the Saddle named Spanish Fly. She was totally interrupting Chance's alone time with Hot Wings. The names of these people are ridiculous, much like their actions, verbal tics, wardrobes, and everything else about them. I look forward to seeing this show all the way through and talking about it to the select few I know that follow this trash as well. I've started writing a short film that hopefully will be shot sometime in the next two months. What I can say about it is that it involves couples in conversation, revealing a certain notion I have about how relationships work. And it's all in one take. And there's a fire. Insane, I know, but I think my friends and I are smart enough to pull it off. I've also been thinking lately about the friendships and working relationships that have started in the past two years and how I'm so glad to have these people around me for support, laughter, and to work on projects with. I hope to be involved with all of them for the rest of my life. I know a few are going to go very far, and if I can do it with them, then awesome. With all the work I've done this summer on projects, the more I've realized what I want to do. I've had conversations with faculty members about where I'm going to go after school and what I'm going to do. My future's been a bit of a mystery among the people guiding me and myself. I'm coming into this semester with a goal in mind and hope to establish in their minds and the minds of my peers that I am a writer and will be a writer. Not a sound mixer, not a DP, not a producer, but a writer, writing away off-set on a computer. I have a bit of a plan for how I'm going to succeed in this career, and if it works, I'll let you know in the form of skywriting or letters printed onto gold sheets with platinum ink. If I'm going to make it, I'm going to make some money in the process, so why not be a jerk to everyone about it? I'm kidding about all of that. Seriously, I am not that guy. If you think I'm anything like that, I'm sorry I've led you to that conclusion. Oh man, I am listening to some Ad Council spots right now to choose from to put on the air and there are some ridiculous ones. This girl just used the Jonas Brothers as an excuse to not post nude photos online. I definitely learned a lesson from that one. Well, I'm going back to work now. Comment me if you read this! I know my blog is not read very often, not that it really matters, but I'd like to get some definite numbers on my readership. Also, podcast coming as soon as Jake is back from California. Lates y'all.

Biggie Shorty

I am back home after a very, very short trip to Illinois. It was good with the exception of a few bad hours I don't wish to speak about in depth. Let's just say I am never staying in a retirement home when I get older. I purchased and read Jeff Smith's "Bone" in the span of a day and a half, and must say it met all of the lofty expectations I had for it. Truly wonderful and I feel bad for missing out on it for such a long time. His new comic "RASL" isn't as good, but I hope it picks up. I have an evening of writing ahead of me and hopefully a haircut in my near future. I'd look like a soccer mom if it wasn't for my poorly arranged stubble. I have the hips to pull the look off though. Gotta do something about that...Tomorrow night is VH1's super-reality evening, and I am looking forward to about a third of it. The show Megan Wants a Millionaire is godawful and even I won't watch it. I'd rather watch an episode of "The Parkers" than this. I'd rather watch the SECOND season of Joe Millionaire on bootleg than this. It sucks hardcore. Now Real Chance of
Love 2: Back in the Saddle is the complete opposite. I would miss a baby shower for this show. I would commit tax evasion to catch every moment. Everything that I love about the genre is present on the show, from crazed bitches to moderately sane bitches, to loads of innuendo-laced challenges. You can call me a sap for liking these shows, but I will be too busy watching the likes of Mamacita, Pocahontas, and Hot Wings to care. I guess that's all for now. I promise that someday soon I'll post something meaningful and well written. Maybe I'll have segues. Ooohhh.

Harness Your Hopes

So I am hanging out in Missouri at the moment enjoying wi-fi and wondering why CSI:Miami is still on the air. People got it right when they decided to let CSI: NY fall to the wayside, so why continue to watch this crap? Anyway, the weather is lovely over here and the population I've encountered has been friendly. Met with relatives, and most of today's experience was great. It's always interesting being around your predecessors, the members of your gene pool, and people who share the same first name as you. The summit of dudes with my name was a success and I was glad to have seen and talked to them today. My grandfather is incredibly funny and lucid at his age, and I am very thankful for that. The man knows his funny and I have a lot to learn from him.
Still have some more stuff to do here and in Illinois tomorrow. Might gamble away my savings over cards. We'll see. In the meantime, I'm writing a little bit (not this) and thinking about some middleweight concepts that were brought about recently. There is much to be learned from music, I will say, and song analysis can eventually lead to self-analysis and progression within the soul. Also, it can lead to using pretentious sounding phrases and turtlenecks. Wow, that neck is really snug. Where did this American Spirit come from? Well, I guess I'm stuck in an indie-bookworm-shoegazing vortex. I'll say hello to Calvin Johnson while I'm here. Until next time, farewell.


Also, I will be making a most excellent Aquaman costume this semester. So as to seem like I'm Aquaman. Yes. Win.

Tegucigalpa

Why hello there reader. How kind of you to visit. I write now to keep away the rust. The more often I write, the better I get at it. Crazy and game-changing, I know. I'm not sure when this podcast is going to be recorded in that I work 8 hours tomorrow and leave for Illinois the day after that and I'm pretty sure that Jake will be out of town for a long time soon. Maybe we can phone it in or something to that effect. I am also pretty much done being the Art Director for a particular person's undergraduate thesis film, and am so so so glad. I was up until 4 A.M. messing around with power tools that were not powerful enough to build a safe and working door frame among other semi-complicated things. From what I've heard from that shoot which started today, the set looks very nice and is going to work out. Though I'm happy with everything for the most part, I probably will never do something like that again unless it's for a personal project. Or a movie where the items I buy and build get to explode, nay have to explode. For the safety of man and slutkind alike of course.

School is approaching quickly and I am incredibly excited for it to start. I cannot wait to see all of my friends that left town this Summer and to further along my experience at college. Some people create goals for college which they then write up colorfully onto construction paper and place on their walls, only to never complete their ambitions because they get too distracted by the glitter on their "Goals for teh Semester!!!" sign. And yes, they also make spelling mistakes cuz rilly, who needs to spell these days? I think I lost my train of thought somewhere in that mess of condescension. Oh wait, yeah, so what are my goals for this semester? To be productive and happy, and to finish writing music for what promises to be hardest short film production of my young life. I have a solid idea of where this story is headed and the tone I want to achieve visually and through dialogue. I really can't wait for it to officially start and don't know what I can do in the meantime other than obsess and stress over it.

The Fruitbats are awesome. Large breakfasts are underrated. I am tired. The Grapebats wouldn't be a terrible band name. Jon Gosselin shouldn't get so much media coverage. I couldn't starve today so I ate a foream-sized burrito from Go-Burger, which is thankfully back up and running. That really was one of the high points of my day and that doesn't mean I had a slow and uneventful day. It means their burritos are the shit. And I'm going back to sleep.

Bright Ideas and Shoegaze Ramblings

Well hello there!
This weekend has been a might fantastic, and I owe it all to friends. I was able to both relax this weekend and keep busy thanks to these fine folks. One function involved pizza and a movie. Simplistic, yet wonderful. Another involved reminiscing about years past at a small gathering where Mario Kart was played and manhood-proving scuffles were had (My record remains 1-0 and I intend to keep it that way). I jammed with some great guys earlier today and we plan on playing shows around town in the near future. These shows will mostly feature jazz-fusion/blues tunes and a few covers. Prince will be in the arsenal for sure.
I also made a pact with a friend and fellow blogger named Jake who is too hilarious to ignore and intelligent as well. We will begin a weekly podcast together. It will be awesome. The Mayor of Blogville is going to cut the ribbon at the grand opening and the National Anthem will be sung by Mike Ditka. You can find Jake's blog here and I must say that it is always funny.
Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I suppose I can now vent and mope over personal issues in the way that most bloggers do, or at least seem to do. This may be common knowledge, or it may not, but I have not been in a relationship, and by that I mean a healthy long-term partnership, with a woman for over a year now. It's frustrating to want something so badly that is out of your control, and while that thought isn't original or singular to me, it stings the same. I should be happy with what I already have in life, and I am, really. But being single for such a time can put a damper on any mood. And it's not like I'd be willing to date just anybody to fix this problem; I want someone that means something to me, and without that, many of the joys in life can feel quite meaningless. Friends mean something to me, and I love them for that, but I can't cuddle with friends. I can't hold hands with friends (Never been the type). I can make friendship bracelets though (Really good ones). And so I will keep pining for an elusive feeling that resided in my heart long ago. For now I'll just keep occupied with work, school, film, music and friends, which seems like a lot actually when I think about it.
Well, I hope my emo-rant entertained you or at least proved to be more interesting than whatever work you're avoiding while you read this. Farewell, and stay tuned for that podcast. It's going to be funtimes mcgee. Also, listen to the band Nurses if you have some time. They are dominating my headphones right now and are very very good.

The Initials BB

That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

I wanted to compare my Summer to a rose and how stress and thorns are unfortunate things, and I wrote it out to be very poetic, but then I realized how lame that is. Point is, I am stressed out. What's causing this are two things: A feature film I'm deeply involved in and a short film I recently got thrown into working on. I'll spare you the details, but I'm close to stretching myself to the fullest. Add one more responsibility and I might snap and fly off into the stratosphere. Speaking of spheres, there is one thing I've been having a ball with (ahahahahaha?). I've been working on my senior thesis short film which will be shot a year and a half from now most likely. It might seem like I'm starting too soon, but I want to make something great that can get me some recognition, respect, and most importantly a job and the importance of it has been weighing on me enough to start on it. I've begun writing out music for it on guitar and piano, which really sets the tone of the story which I've also been writing. The music and words are going together great enough that If I get stuck in one area, I can usually pull myself out of that creative hole by working in the other. I think I can write a really great score for my thesis and if I can get all the right parts together far in advance for it, I might have a chance of doing something I'll really love and appreciate. Another reason why I'm working on it so soon is so that I can get all of the props, locations, and all around randomness figured out before the issues of finding actors come about. So if any of you know a fork lift operator or somebody with access to a trained elephant, let me know. Seriously. It's going to be epic.


Also, started listening to this dude. He's French and awesome.

Unbeweavable

I promised earlier this week to write about the finale of the VH1 super claptrap hour that is "Daisy of Love," and I will now deliver my thoughts on the episode:

It sucked. It straight up sucked.
And I think the reason has to do with the show's format. The show, like most others in the reality genre, are programs dedicated to creating and capturing dating exercises for the morally handicapped. I enjoy watching these people depraved of any logic going out to strip clubs, tattoo parlors, or dune buggy courses and generally acting a fool. The reason the finale of this show failed, and thus its entire existence failed, is because all of the competitors were guys. I don't think I'm being sexist when I say that women on reality shows create the best drama, or as they say in the biz, unbeweavable tv. Men, though braggarts and blowhards on these shows, tend to be levelheaded towards the end run of their 15 minutes of fame. The DOL finale was drama free and not entertaining at all. "Real Chance of Love?" Amazing finale. "Rock of Love: Herpes Simplex 1-9" was great fun to watch. What these shows had were crazy women unreflective of the gender they represent doing absurd things. DOL had a bunch of lunkheads fairly reflective of a gender being very boring. Maybe I'm being so harsh because I burned my fingers today making a bouquet out of watch pieces. Weird story.

In other news, I subjected myself to the experience that is "G-Force: 3D" and must say that it also sucked. I was hoping for it to be horrible enough to be memorable or offensive enough to be laughable, but instead I was treated to 90 minutes of furry mediocrity. The fact that it beat Harry Potter this week just goes to show that people love talking animals. Guinea pigs are the Golden Retrievers of today and the Cheshire Cats of tomorrow. I personally can't wait for "Sumo Sloth: 3D" to come out, featuring 4 hours of laidback thrills. Oh yeauh.

No Interview Links for Awhile

The KRUX website has and will continue to be down for another week it seems, which is very depressing. I can't share with you any interviews until then since I would have to link you over to the site to hear them. I'm not sure if I can post KRUX derived content here and so I won't just in case. On a side note, I am doing fairly well except that I am stressed out beyond all belief and internalizing all of it, resulting in sleepless nights and thus fatigue. I still want a vacation before going back to school and I hope that happens. Two weeks in someplace foreign. I'd like that. Will I get that? Doubtful.

Oh, and I'll be interviewing Boots Riley sometime this week and will put that link up whenever our site is working. I'm listening to his collaboration with Tom Morello and I'm not sure what to say about it really except that Boots has the best voice for saying the word "Mothafucka" and I'm glad that he's smart enough to use it as much as possible. Also, this makes me wish RATM would put out something new. Morello is prolific enough that they could assemble an album in less than a year and have it sound better than average. Maybe he's too busy providing music for Iron Man 2? 

In Defense of Reality Programming

So I wrongly thought that the finale to my favorite reality show would be playing tonight. Of course it isn't because there always is a recap episode the week beforehand! And so the Daisy of Love recap show will air some hours from now, enticing its viewers with never-before-seen footage and previews of the Maui finale. I will probably watch this episode even though it has no real inherent value. Then again, it's pretentious of me to assume that reality television can have any value to it, right? Or is it populist of me to think so? It's just how I think, and I will now take the time to explain why I can and if need be defend reality programming. Here are two general issues people have with the genre and some ways I think they could be wrong about this thinking:
1. It's scripted, dumbass. Why watch something parading around as real when it's obviously fake?

Well, it's entertaining. Whether or not the drama comes about naturally or is prodded out of the participants, it still can be interesting. It's something that can be appreciated if you're willing to accept its way of being produced. Now some shows have parts of it that are written and some do not. The ones that do tend to have "confessionals" written for them. Onscreen commentary by the likes of Fonzworth Bentley, Daisy de la Hoya, and some guy named ChiChi don't ever fit the real people playing these characters. Yes, characters. I'm willing to let you in on a secret (and a longwinded one at that): Reality shows are basically about real people playing characters or stereotypes that they would probably fit into in normal life. Reality is about bending and playing people's strengths and weaknesses into entertainment. And it's entertaining. At least to me and a few million others. I will also say that this complaint is a main reason why so many people hated Bruno, whereas I loved it. Parts are real, parts are fake, all of it tells a story. Also, there are several reality shows that are unscripted. These are on TLC and A&E. They are usually good. Watch them.

2. It's trashy. It shows no morals and promotes unhealthy lifestyles.

I will say that they are trashy. No doubt about it. If "Breaking Bad" can be considered a five-star meal, "Charm School" is like McNuggets. But though they're not good for you, McNuggets are comforting and tasty in small doses just like these shows. And these shows actually do have moral lessons to teach. Bret Michaels keeps searching for love and failing. Why? Because he's going about it by not learning about the girls he's dating, but by judging them solely on looks and alcohol tolerance. It's fun to watch him fail at securing his dream bitch, but it's also interesting and educational to see why people who live these lifestyles don't find happiness that often. Other lessons one can take from reality television are: Don't do drugs (from "Intervention," a very unscripted, haunting show) Don't be starting shit (from "Charm School," arguably the worst reality show this year) Be careful when trying not to get pregnant when you're having sex at the age of 16 (from MTV's "I'm 16 and Pregnant" which is actually good. The situations are unfortunate, but the realities these young women have to adapt to in order to raise a child are fascinating.) Many other shows have messages to display. The mainstays that are "COPS" and "Cheaters" basically teach you not to break the law or lie to others. "The Real World" teaches us not to be bad roommates and to be respectful and attentive to the needs of others. If you're against swearing and people doing wrong by each other, than these shows are not for you. I get it and won't try to change your way of thinking. I will say that if you watch "Wife Swap" you may become a better parent. Okay. I'm done.




It's hard to write about this subject without sounding like an imbecile, and I probably am anyway. If you're against reality television this probably won't change your opinions at all. Why did I write this then? Because I was bored and felt like it. And I need to establish my credibility on the subject before I dissect the DOL finale obviously. Sigh... I bet my sex life is going to suffer because of this. Drat..... Wait. Ladies! I am still a man. I barbeques and sports and action films. Guns are cool! Cage fighting is awesome. Grammar is for pussies!


There.

Losing a Fan

It's another sweltering day here in the Southwest, and I must say that the rotating fan has become my new best friend. To my old best friend: Sorry. We had a lot of things going on, most of them great, but you can't keep me cool like Holmes does. Plus he's polite enough to have multiple settings that can be switched around to fit my mood. Can you do that? No, you can't. So how could you expect me not to fall in love with Holmes? Wait. Hold on. Holmes? Holmes? HOLMES!!! Dear Lord...he's...he's...no more. There's a note.

"It brought me my greatest pleasure to make you feel cool, but you also gave me the greatest disappointment I've ever felt. I'm leaving you for a better world. A world where I'm free to rotate to whomever I choose to and turn off on my whim, not theirs"

Well then.... I guess I learned a lesson that so few people of my generation have: Friends are irreplaceable people you can rely on and trust, not material objects that bring you joy but then break down, only to be replaced by one of the millions of others like them.


Thus concludes this post of really random weirdness and poorly executed social commentary. I am quite stoked for the DOL finale this Sunday and should post my Adam Goldberg interview on Monday. Laterz.

The Inaugural Blog

So here it is: The Inaugural Blog on This Website.
You might think this is my attempt to join the blog bandwagon 9 years too late, but in reality it's just me falling back on the wagon. I can't guarantee that these posts will be entertaining or informative. I can't even promise there will be complete sentences or coherency of any kind. What I can say about this blog is that I will be updating it with some regularity and writing about pop culture and what projects I'm working on. Opinions will be present, and if you don't like my opinions, you simply aren't a true American. Also, as a warning, I tend to delve into a strange kind of humor that isn't very funny to most people and does not translate well into text. I think you just got acquainted with that humor. Hope it went well.
Anyhow, that's all for now. I imagine I'll post something about the Daisy of Love finale after it airs because I am most likely one of the few literate people who watch that show, my friends excluded of course. Goodbye reader. You'll be hearing from me soon.