I’ve had so many things occupying my mind lately. Although I’ve written down little snippets of ideas for blog posts, I find myself unable to explore them at any length. So, I thought I’d try something different this time – just open up Word and write.
Life has been busy. As I’ve said before, we hit the ground running! My To Do list has grown from a list to a file folder, the way an embryo grows from a couple cells. Yesterday was productive - I got a few things done, filed, called. Selling our trailer and buying a house is still the top priority, but there are so many aspects of that to follow up on. Requiring a down payment leads to raising cash leads to reducing debt leads to spending less leads to selling more stuff on ebay leads to organizing the office leads to packing stuff for the yard sale leads to weeding out my book collection leads to putting in the new windows leads to cleaning out the corner by the front door leads to putting stuff out in the shed leads to thinking about organizing the shed leads to finish painting the front porch leads to drywall repairs leads to wallpaper or painting leads to replacing the carpet leads to the desire to have a yard for the dog leads to buying a new house leads to selling the trailer. See? It’s all connected.
I have not worked on the D&D stuff much at all. I have certainly not been able to do 1 hour of writing each day. Flush with yesterday’s accomplishments, though, I am eager to restart again. Again. I sometimes borrow The Writer magazine from the library, and that always inspires me with practical tips and market information.
The new TV season started up. I love my DVR. We enjoyed Heroes last night, though it may be too much too fast – an over-reaction to the complaint about last season’s slow pace. Robot Chicken has been funny, of course. I still hate reality shows, any and all of them, though I do get a HUGE kick out of The Soup. I’ve watched this show off and on through 3 hosts, from when it was called Talk Soup. With DVR, I don’t miss an episode. Joel McHale is hilarious in making fun of the poor saps on talk- and reality shows. Right up my alley, as they say.
Jen and I have been listening to The Stand, by Stephen King. She raves about it, and has actually read it. Twice. I must be missing something. I think it’s dull and not at all convincing. The remaining Americans are split into 2 camps – God followers and God fearers. The focus is mainly on the God followers, and their pervasive altruism rings false in the face of the massive potential of materialism. Think about it; 99% of the population, dead. All their stuff, not dead. All the stuff in the warehouses. All the gold, guns, and goodies! Sure, they have to grow food and organize a government, but they’ll never have a shortage of tools and supplies to do so! I’m only halfway through, though, so I’ll reserve judgment. I’ve watched the TV movie, which was entertaining if not self-effacing. There’s also a comic book adaptation on the way, which promises to be 15-20 issues (at $4.00 each…) of still but striking images. I used to be averse to his weighty exposition, but have since come to realize the importance of the build up. Let’s hope it’s not too disappointing.
I got a 60% on a quiz about DOS prompt commands. Like riding a bike. A circus bike with an outrageously large front wheel. Of course I can do it, but the format of the quiz was weird. We had to write the commands in a text box, without using the DOS window. The instructor said beforehand that if we do poorly on the quiz, don’t fret it. What a waste of 2 weeks. Next, I get to learn how to install Windows XP, using the $120 textbook/workbook/120 day trial CD. Fortunately, this will be the last semester of learning stuff I already know. Then, only 6 classes to an Associates Degree in computer networking!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Into the garbage chute, Flyboy!
It's been tough to set aside time, even 1 hour a day, when so much else is going on that demands my attention.
I have lots of little circled W's - writing ideas that I would like to touch on here in the blog - but so little time. But it's hard to justify spending time on the trivial stuff when dealing with real life issues. I'm just not entirely comfortable addressing real life issues, like my son's emotional and behavioral problems, here on the blog. Still, I know that it's meta-important to carry on, and I have at least worked on minor D&D stuff daily, even if only for a minute or two. I just finished The Dark Tower II: the Drawing of the Three (again). That helps me keep my ear open for tidbits of phrasing and has given me a renewed appreciate for the natural usage of the F-bomb. So, the writer in me is still closer to the surface than before I started this blog. He's AT the surface, actually, like a dianoga slinking through the styrofoam detritus floating in the trash compactor that is my life.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
My name is Steven. I am a Star Wars Geek.
I have been clean for 3 years, 3 months, and 8 days.
On Sunday, I took my son to see the Clone Wars movie.
I enjoyed it.
Despite being resolutely determined NOT to, I enjoyed it. Perhaps it was because I had such low expectations, after reading all the poor (and poorly written) reviews out there. Perhaps it was because my son, it’s intended audience, thought it was sewper kewl. Perhaps it was because we sat way up in the front, which provides a radically different perspective on whatever is on the screen. Regardless, I enjoyed it for what it was – a spectacular war movie spiced with some juvenile comedy, animated in a unique style that ………
Aw, who am I kidding. It was STAR WARS! It had multiple light saber battles!!
Here’s what I liked:
A lot of clone troopers died. That’s what they were for. The voice of Obi-wan was very much like Ewan McGregor. Next best thing and all that. And Obi-wan’s temperament and battle skill is most impressive here. Mace Windu, though not a lead character in this ‘episode’, was voiced by Sam Jackson. Realistic background, stylistic characters. This combination somehow made it seem less cartoony. The clone troopers all had the same face and voice, which was VERY similar to Tem Morrison, the original Jango Fett. They also had different hair styles and colors and scars and stuff to differentiate them. Jabba the Hutt spoke in Huttese and sounded just like he did in Return of the Jedi. Some of the phrases were even recognizable, to those of us who were, at one time, students of Huttese.
Here’s what I did NOT like. (to varying degrees, least hated first):
The WB intro, rather than the 20th Century Fox fanfare. Minor, but the fanfare traditionally introduces the quiet electric blue of “A long time ago…”. Then the Clone Wars logo pops up, fades back, the action kicks off, and the voice-over kicks in. VOICE-OVER. No crawl. If you’re going to market and present it as a Star Wars MOVIE, then do the title and crawl. The opening music is a cartoonish version of the original theme. I don’t have the music vocabulary to describe it but it just wasn’t the same. The soundtrack all the way through does not stand out. A lot of clone troopers died. One was even decapitated. No mourning was showed. I always thought mourning them would make their story more realistic, more authentic. Obi-wan and Anakin don’t even blink when they go down, and they just send the rest in for another wave. Ahsoka, Anakin’s padawan, is Miley freakin’ Cyrus with a light saber. The whole idea of her character is what bugs me - the blatant targeting of tween girls. The execution of her character is fine. She shows her smarts and quickly learns to follow directions in battle. She calls Anakin “Sky Guy”, but only twice that I noted, not ‘the whole move’ as some reviewers declared. He uses HER nickname, Snips, more often, and more irritatingly! Jabba the Hutt’s son was another thing that other reviewers found unbearable. He was hardly featured! He burped once! Last AND least, we have Zero the Hutt. Jabba is featured multiple times in the movie, always speaking his native Huttese, translated through a protocol droid. His character is presented with a respectful eye to what came before. His uncle Zero, however, is the worst part of the entire movie. Zero lives on Coruscant, which I guess makes him an urban Hutt. He has tattoos that make it look like he’s wearing a nylon do-rag with neon markings. He is a countertenor, with a faux gangsta vocabulary that sounds like a bunch of geeky white guys tried to invent a faux gangsta vocabulary!
My (lowered) expectations obviously changed the experience for me. I had read many reviews that painted it in such a bad light. I liked the animation, the action, the characterization. I didn’t like the marketing, the music, and the new characters. I am looking forward to the weekly episodes, actually. There was an extended preview on TV this weekend, and it showed some exciting bits.
George is listed as Executive Producer. The less he is involved, the better it will be.
On Sunday, I took my son to see the Clone Wars movie.
I enjoyed it.
Despite being resolutely determined NOT to, I enjoyed it. Perhaps it was because I had such low expectations, after reading all the poor (and poorly written) reviews out there. Perhaps it was because my son, it’s intended audience, thought it was sewper kewl. Perhaps it was because we sat way up in the front, which provides a radically different perspective on whatever is on the screen. Regardless, I enjoyed it for what it was – a spectacular war movie spiced with some juvenile comedy, animated in a unique style that ………
Aw, who am I kidding. It was STAR WARS! It had multiple light saber battles!!
Here’s what I liked:
A lot of clone troopers died. That’s what they were for. The voice of Obi-wan was very much like Ewan McGregor. Next best thing and all that. And Obi-wan’s temperament and battle skill is most impressive here. Mace Windu, though not a lead character in this ‘episode’, was voiced by Sam Jackson. Realistic background, stylistic characters. This combination somehow made it seem less cartoony. The clone troopers all had the same face and voice, which was VERY similar to Tem Morrison, the original Jango Fett. They also had different hair styles and colors and scars and stuff to differentiate them. Jabba the Hutt spoke in Huttese and sounded just like he did in Return of the Jedi. Some of the phrases were even recognizable, to those of us who were, at one time, students of Huttese.
Here’s what I did NOT like. (to varying degrees, least hated first):
The WB intro, rather than the 20th Century Fox fanfare. Minor, but the fanfare traditionally introduces the quiet electric blue of “A long time ago…”. Then the Clone Wars logo pops up, fades back, the action kicks off, and the voice-over kicks in. VOICE-OVER. No crawl. If you’re going to market and present it as a Star Wars MOVIE, then do the title and crawl. The opening music is a cartoonish version of the original theme. I don’t have the music vocabulary to describe it but it just wasn’t the same. The soundtrack all the way through does not stand out. A lot of clone troopers died. One was even decapitated. No mourning was showed. I always thought mourning them would make their story more realistic, more authentic. Obi-wan and Anakin don’t even blink when they go down, and they just send the rest in for another wave. Ahsoka, Anakin’s padawan, is Miley freakin’ Cyrus with a light saber. The whole idea of her character is what bugs me - the blatant targeting of tween girls. The execution of her character is fine. She shows her smarts and quickly learns to follow directions in battle. She calls Anakin “Sky Guy”, but only twice that I noted, not ‘the whole move’ as some reviewers declared. He uses HER nickname, Snips, more often, and more irritatingly! Jabba the Hutt’s son was another thing that other reviewers found unbearable. He was hardly featured! He burped once! Last AND least, we have Zero the Hutt. Jabba is featured multiple times in the movie, always speaking his native Huttese, translated through a protocol droid. His character is presented with a respectful eye to what came before. His uncle Zero, however, is the worst part of the entire movie. Zero lives on Coruscant, which I guess makes him an urban Hutt. He has tattoos that make it look like he’s wearing a nylon do-rag with neon markings. He is a countertenor, with a faux gangsta vocabulary that sounds like a bunch of geeky white guys tried to invent a faux gangsta vocabulary!
My (lowered) expectations obviously changed the experience for me. I had read many reviews that painted it in such a bad light. I liked the animation, the action, the characterization. I didn’t like the marketing, the music, and the new characters. I am looking forward to the weekly episodes, actually. There was an extended preview on TV this weekend, and it showed some exciting bits.
George is listed as Executive Producer. The less he is involved, the better it will be.
Ya hit the ground runnin’…unCHAINED!
Nothing stays the same. Especially when you have children.
September comes and we are off and running. School starts, for the kids and Jen - and ME! Cub Scouts starts (anyone like to buy some popcorn?). Nick’s gonna play hockey at the YMCA. Jackie’s gonna do some horse lessons. We’re still trying to sell the house, and look for a new one. On top of all of that, Jennifer has taken up a second job, at the Kroger Deli, to make some extra cash. I have a ton of paperwork to go through, in a repeated attempt (say thankee, sai) to organize my bag and to-do file. I really have to stay disciplined in order to get WORK done at work.
Since this blog is about my writing, though, I need to buttress all of that with the will to continue writing for that one hour every day. This morning I jumped right in, with this post and the next, so that’s encouraging. I will have less time at home for this, so I have to get it done here, in the morning.
And still I am [aware] of the desire to share some gaming time, with my newest friend and one of my oldest friends in particular (you both know who you are (I hope!)!). I only mention that here because it is a part of the writing adventure, not because it’s high on my list of priorities. Not that my friends are not important, but in the scheme of life, there are things that just need to be done, and only so much leisure time at the end of the day. You know what I mean......
September comes and we are off and running. School starts, for the kids and Jen - and ME! Cub Scouts starts (anyone like to buy some popcorn?). Nick’s gonna play hockey at the YMCA. Jackie’s gonna do some horse lessons. We’re still trying to sell the house, and look for a new one. On top of all of that, Jennifer has taken up a second job, at the Kroger Deli, to make some extra cash. I have a ton of paperwork to go through, in a repeated attempt (say thankee, sai) to organize my bag and to-do file. I really have to stay disciplined in order to get WORK done at work.
Since this blog is about my writing, though, I need to buttress all of that with the will to continue writing for that one hour every day. This morning I jumped right in, with this post and the next, so that’s encouraging. I will have less time at home for this, so I have to get it done here, in the morning.
And still I am [aware] of the desire to share some gaming time, with my newest friend and one of my oldest friends in particular (you both know who you are (I hope!)!). I only mention that here because it is a part of the writing adventure, not because it’s high on my list of priorities. Not that my friends are not important, but in the scheme of life, there are things that just need to be done, and only so much leisure time at the end of the day. You know what I mean......
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