Hola, All! :D

'Sup?

Sorry it's been a while, but there are 2 very good reasons for that:

1. It's mostly been more of the same in my life, and
2. I don't have Net access at my casa for the time being.

(Finances are a little tight right now, but I'm guessing you've got your own fiscal issues if you're reading this in the States, lol.) ;P

This weekend was quite remarkable: I played a lot of Tomb Raider 2, watched 6 hours of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (the movies Lucas re-edited from the episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) as well as a few hours of historical documentaries included as bonus features with the flicks, and I re-watched The Prestige and Jaws and Jaws 2 as well as the accompanying making-of documentary features for both, AND...

I also rewrote my outline for my current screenplay! :D

I did SOOOOOOO MUCH slouching, and I STILL got an impressive amount of serious work done, too!

No idea how. Not a clue. It just happened.

Oh, I started off last weekend by re-listening to the BBC Radio 1997 7-episode dramatization of Stephen King's Salem's Lot. I think that might have helped with the getting-writing-work-done thing. King always makes me feel like a slacker when it comes to writing because he's such an overachiever.

In his book On Writing he prescribes a writing regimen that, if I actually applied it, would probably result in my producing about 6 screenplays a year. (When I get going, I can write like a madman!)

And while that would be ideal, really, the most important part of the regimen is having a set time of day when I write... And this is something I haven't been able to accomplish since my first writing book suggested it to me back in 1992. :( I just can't find a chunk of time EVERY day that I can devote to writing.

I do, however, have success with a weekly page goal. That's how I did the Script Frenzy scripts the past 2 years. I break down how many pages in a week I need to finish in order to accomplish the monthly goal, and I usually end up starting late and finishing early.

So that's my regimen, I guess.

I'm tellin' ya, tho'... When I win the lottery (or sell a few screenplays and can quit my day job, whichever happens first) I'm creating a daily writing schedule! It's, like, a fantasy of mine since I was 21: A writing office (some place I can shut myself up in for 5-10 hours a day and ONLY think about the current story), one of those wrap-around desks that can comfortably house a computer AND a reference library, a laptop (for when I want to write at the park of at Starbuck's or something) and a set time of day -- every day -- when all I'm allowed to do is write!

I don't know why that's so exciting to me. Maybe I'm just a frickin' nerd or something. But the thought of a set time & space that is devoted SOLEY to writing just turns me on!

As it is, I feel sort of like a creative nomad. My office is a 1-gig jump drive, a plastic clipboard with loose-leaf notebook paper clipped to it and a handfull of good pens inside it and a plastic envelop of 3x5 cards.

That's it. That's my "office'.

From a creative standpoint, I'm a homelss person.

And a scavenger: I haven't had my OWN computer in a couple of years now! My computer broke down just a few weeks after Gnomey and I hooked up, which is right at the 2-year mark. So I use whatever computer is available to me when I have the time to do some work.

Actually... I guess that's a little romantic, in a Jack-Kerouac/Henry-David-Thoreau kind of I'll-create-my-art-anywhere-and-any-time sort of way. :)

But I still want the office, desk, laptop and set writing time.

Blah.

Okay, I'm psychic! Wanna see? I know what you're thinking right now!

"If you were just gonna go on and on about wanting an office to write in, you really didn't need to even bother making an entry this week."

I'm close, right? ;P

My Gnomey's such an angle, though! The 3 days I'm off work I don't have access to the Net, right? So when I come back to work and check my mail, who do you think has an email waiting for me? (# guesses, and the first 2 don't count.)

What a hotty! Not just super-cool & loveable & desireable, but so considerate, too!!!

Okay, I'm writing this at work, natch, and it's been a few minutes since I even looked like I was doing some actual work. So I should probably sign off for now.

Before I go, if you're not checking out the site for the new Star Trek flick, you TOTALLY SHOULD!!! Check out who's playing Spock and Scotty in particular!!! :D GENIUS!

Also, if it's been a while since you visited Homestar Runner.com, there's no time like the present to get reaquainted! Brian & I have been watching the dvds a lot recently, and Homestar just never gets old! :D

Hope you have a super-groovy Labor Day weekend!!! :D

Talkin' w/Tisha

Today has been a really cool Sunday for me!

I started it off listening to Star Wars: Yoda: Dark Rendezvous, which is one of the best Expanded Universe novels I've read! I haven't read a lot of them, because even the ones that are nigh-cannon tend not to be as cool -- to me -- as watching the movies. But this one came out in 2004, just before Episode III and it focuses on Yoda and Count Duku, and the reviews on Amazon.com were really positive.

Plus, you know, the Star Wars: The Clone Wars is out in theaters, and I can't afford to see it yet, but I'm really excited about it. So I figured reading the book might help me cope mor patiently, lol.

And it did! Really great read!

Afterward I was sort of going on and on about it to Brian, so he popped in Return of the Jedi, so he could get his Star Wars fix, and around 1:44 am my phone rings.

At 1:00 in the morning, it can't be bill collectors... And 1:00 am my time is about 7:00 am my baby's time (she doesn't get up quite that early, usually)... So who could be calling me?

Turns out, it's my daughter! She's spent that last week down here in my neck of the woods, and the weekend was spent in San Antonio at Sea World or Fiesta Texas. (I want to say it's Sea World, but I don't exactly recall just at the moment.)

But when she calls, she's up around Abilene, on her way home.

Now, she's about to be 18, but in my mind she's still somewhere around 16, lol. So it's a bit of a shock to be talking to her on the phone as she drives around Texas at 1:40 am.

But it's also REALLY COOL! :)

It was a really nice conversation, too. Just chatting about nothing and everything (like Melanie, her GPS with, inexplicably, a British accent, and the Olympics). It was particularly fun to listen to her arguing with Melanie, lol. ("You telling me to go the wrong way!")

I wound down after work this morning by watching this week's Psych, and I finished out my shift at work by watching the recent remake of When A Stranger Calls on Hulu. So I would say that this weekend is starting off rather nicely. Really low-key. :)

I could stand to get some writing done, though.

The day is still young for me, yet. But I need to block out about 32 scenes, hopefully before Wednesday. (I'm kind of snail-ing along on my current project.) But, like I said, I've still got plenty of time.

I suppose this entry is just about me enjoying what a cool, relaxed-but-groovy day I'm having so far.

Hope your day is groovy, too! :)

The 2008 Olympics Continue...

Relaxing weekend for me. Watched Space Chimps with my li'l bro and really enjoyed it! :) Also, listened to a BBC Radio 7-part audio dramatization of 'Salem's Lot, which was awesome. Got to talk to my daughter for a while, too! :D She's in town this week, but I won't be able to see her because of work. :(

Now I'm hangin' at work, watching the repeat of last night's Olympic games. It's kind of lazy work because it's a live event, so I have to pay attention to it and be ready to throw a break whenever Network decides to throw one. So I can't be working on a story or anything while this is going on (which is another hour-and-a-half, then after that I have to pay attention because we're geering up for our local news starting then).

So no playing for Ray Jay, lol. (I actually have to work for my pay until the Olympics are finished, lol.)

Gnomey and I have been a couple for 2 years as of today!!! xoxoxo :D I wish we could celebrate together, but besides that I really couldn't be happier! :) I'm incredibly lucky that she's stuck around this long, and I can't believe such blessings have befallen ME! I mean, I'm a lucky guy... But having Gnomey in my life is, like, SUPERNATURALLY good luck!!!

And something cool to mark this occasion is the release of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, because she's a MAJOR Star Wars fan! :) So every time I see the trailer, I think of her and our 2nd anniversary, hehe. ;)

Okay, I need to get my attention back on work.

I hope if you have a significant other in your life youshow him/her some extra appreciation today! :D (And if you're a dude, you'll get extra bonus points, because we tend not to think to do special things for our ladies for no reason at all!)

I'm A Sick Man...

And not in the fun, comical "Oh, you sicko" sort of way, either. :(

My body isn't playing nice with me, lol.

But I think I may be getting better, though, which I look forward to.

Here's an irony: I started feeling not-quite-well about halfway through my first day back at work, and I may be getting better just about the time of my weekend, lol.

I haven't called in sick because my first day that I was pretty sure I was ill was the day that I'm most needed. Well... that and the fact that I don't know if I have any sick days left. ;P But I made it through Thur/Fri and figured I could make it through Fri/Sat as well.

And I did!

And I'm kind of glad I did, too. We aired the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics and I've got to tell you, it was pretty cool! If you didn't catch it, it was AMAZING! It was all color and music on a larger scale than you've ever seen, ever!

And we re-aired the Opening Ceremonies for the last half of my shift, so I started my work day off with them and ended my shift with them, too.

Very groovy!

And sense I was already feeling like I was in an hallucination, the Opening Ceremonies seemed to fit right in.

But now I must sleep.

I want to make sure my bod gets as much rest as it deems necessary so I can get back to 100%.

If you have you health, I invite you to take a moment and simply ENJOY the fact that you do!!! :D

Tired & Smilin'!!! :D

I stayed up late yesterday morning to help a friend move, and what did I get for my good deed?

A CALL FROM MY GNOMEY!!! :D

It was the coolest thing!

Had I not agreed the night before to help my friend after work, I would have been asleep and my phone would have been turned off when my baby called me. But as it was, since I was being helpful, I got to hear my gorgeous, amazing girlfriend's beautiful voice!!! :D

I just love things like that, "coincidences" that you can read as simple happenstance, if you're of that mind, or you can accept as precious little miracles!

I also like the implication that I live in a loving universe that will reward me when I am helpful to others. :) (And with a reward like my Gnomey Goddess, I'm inclined to help ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE, ANYHOW!!!)

I'm still the slightest bit sore from moving, so I'm going to veg-out before going to sleep. But I hope this day gives YOU a tiny miracle that makes your heart jump for joy!!! :D