The Overdue Blog

I saw some bloggers had this going today, and since I've fallen so far off-pace, thought I'd jump-start the writing part of my brain again. I think I've told 12 people about the blog, but haven't posted much since. How dare I let down these 12 people?


Name one thing you do every day:
Well, of course I brush my teeth every day. But the one thing that helps me get motivated is to take a shower. It's the one thing that wakes me up, and makes me feel normal. Some people have coffee in the morning, I need a shower.

Name five things/people that make you feel good:
I like talking to my sister and giving her general crap. That's what being an older brother is all about, right?
Random naps on weekend afternoons. Very rare.
Seeing a really good movie. (This sometimes is rare too.)
Swimming in my pool. Well, to be accurate, floating around on a tube, shades on, reading a book or magazine in the pool. One of the things about SoCal I can indulge in.
Hitting a fastball on the sweet spot and driving the ball a long way. Or, at least, into the netting, visualizing the flight of the ball and imaging I'm in Fenway.

Name four things you love to eat but rarely do:
Chocolate cake
Chocolate milk
Popcorn
Hot dogs
(Chocolate related items- such is life on a diet.)

Name three things that remind you of childhood:
Christmas decorations. Putting things around my house in December always makes me think of growing up.
Cigar smoke. Back in the 70's men could smoke in ballparks. I always think of baseball and being a kid when I smell cigar smoke.
Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies. My Mom had the ability to make cookies and have them cooling when we walked in the door.


Name two things you wish you could learn:
How to draw. Actually, I can do stick figures, so... How to draw well.
How to woo women. You know, so I can get the chicks. In truckloads.

Okay! Will try to be better at posting new blogs soon.

The Belated Blog

I've been busy with work, and struggling with words the last few days.

I urge everyone to read this essay/ article/ blog.

The 18 year plan - To An Athlete Dying Young.

My sympathies to the family of Jamiel Andre Shaw II.

The Time Change Blog

Skipping from 2am Sunday to 3am Sunday sure did mess with my day on Monday.

I was busy at the end of the day with work related things. Instead of it getting dark around 6pm, I just plowed right thru and worked til around 7pm. When I realized the time, I was all discombobulated. 7pm! When I'm not too crazy with work, that's usually when I try to be
ready to work out on my bike. It just so happens to correspond with the time when Jeopardy! comes on locally. It's easy to watch: questions flashing on a big blue screen, and when you work out and have iPod earplugs in, the visuals and my brain's processing can concentrate on something other than how freaking long I have to go to meet my goals on the bike.

So, 'round 7:15 or so, I look up at the clock, and then look outside. What the frack? I should be working out! I'm missing Jeopardy people!!!! Jeopardy! (and for anyone who watches, what happened to Alex's hand? It's all bandaged up. He shakes hands like Bob Dole now.)

Don't get me wrong- I have to work late some times, I miss my workout now and then. But the daylight threw me off. I generally like the idea of "daylight savings." I like when it's sunny so I can do things after work. I just wasn't ready for it today. Now I have to keep an eye out on the sun- fool me once, shame on me. Don't be fooling me anymore!

PS- The Space Shuttle launches tonight at 11:30pm Pacific Time. How do they determine that time frame for launch? Does it reduce the chance of foam hitting the shuttle on lift-off if they ignite the burners at 2:30am in Florida? I almost hope there's a bunch of letters to the editor around Cape Canaveral about people who wake up when the shuttle's sonic booms hit in the middle of the night.

The Questionable Blog

Hey! I found the cd that I was looking for yesterday. Of course, I had put the actual cd in a different case, not the original one. It's always something.

Now, to try a lazy oft-used convention that I've seen sportswriters use, I hereby list various questions that you, the elusive blog-readers of the world, can perhaps answer for me:

Where should I go on vacation?

Who is your favorite South Park character? I think mine is Butters!

If you theoretically did something bad, like felony-bad, and a police officer finds your car and follows you- would you continue the police car chase for hours or pull over? Have you figured out the odds already, just in case this happens and you have a mental game plan worked out?

Who are these girls "who go wild"? Does anyone out there know them? They're from another planet, right? Do their parents and siblings disown them for appearing in Girls Gone Wild?

Do I look fat in this shirt?

Saturday Blog

Going out to see The Cherry Bluestorms tonight. I like "Just a Kiss Away" and other stuff from their cd Transit of Venus.

I was just on my iTunes, listening to a live version of a song, and went looking for the cd version that I like too. Found the studio version, and was tempted to buy the song, but before hitting the "buy now" button, it dawned on me that I already own the cd. The question of course- where is that cd? Why didn't I digitize it into my iPod?

Since I bought the iPod, I've had this issue a few times. "Don't I own this already?" Much like mis-matched socks because they get lost in the laundry, I swear my house has stolen a few cds from me.

"Come out, come out wherever you are!"

The Stupid Reality TV Show Blog

Just a quick one tonight. Trying to keep my "consecutive" streak going here, and make a post a day for the first week. Part of my delay was that I decided to watch a banal stupid show on the CMT. That's right. I watched the Country Music Channel! I think it might be the first time I was on this channel for more than a nano-second while turning to some other station. Someone I know doesn't get this channel, and asked me to do a play-by-play of the show, "Hunt for the next Coyote Ugly" or some variation on that theme.

I did this via chat. This might seem long to you, the hidden, unknown reader- Can you imagine how long this hour of tv seemed to me? I don't even like what is considered "good" reality shows. I think I deserve a medallion of a sort for what I endured tonight. Alas, here we go...

Lots of blondes- they just had a TH w/Jess

They listed her as Marketing rep from Philly

She's not as freaky as this chick named Taylin from oklahoma

Wow, some huge tits! on Lindsay. "Plastic for better living" if you know what I mean
They're all in push up bras and trashy short skirts

Is Jess, um... natural?

(other chatter) Yeah.

This is what you get for asking me to do play by play-- me, asking about tits

(other chatter) She's kind of got an athetic/chunky build.

She's not really in this main group they're showing

Her hair is kinda hanging over part of her face over her left eye

Okay they're doing some choreography with her team

(other chatter) Her goal in life is for a wide amount of people to think she's hot and a whore.

They are ragging on a team of blondes and wannabe blonds. Cue the peroxide

It's hilarious because they don't know how to put a song and dance jig together.

This black singing coach says they will be tough to "break in"

"old dogs can't learn new trix"

He just said before a break "I've never seen a group do so badly, in my mind they were a catastrophe"

and CUT! to Jess dancing!

*commercial break*

They haven't shown too much of Jess yet.

They edited to show her after the black guy says that "do so badly" line is the first time they've had a close shot on her dancing, outside of the TH which was just a CU blurb
CMT music awards! monday april 14th!
*And we're back!*

2 blondes, Jess, a black chick, and fake redhead- pink group

She's dancing- not well

Her hair is getting in the way

She's looking very busty

The black guy is saying the catastrophe about her group

Now the black team is up

Freaky woman has multi colored hair --she's 37!

Mauli B is the black singing coach -- they are picking "the best of the worst"

OOH, Tracy red head is getting picked on- not Jess

Man it's getting harsh

They didn't show any criticism of Jess!

They picked on 2 others in her group

Oh, they called Taylin the 37 yr old, the "old maid" of the group

"desperate to go back in time"- ouch, not good

Wow they just picked the other group to move on, so Jess' group doesn't go?

Before ads, they just made a blond cry

*commercials*

I wouldn't normally watch this, why am I here?

Wait- back from break, and they showed Jess sing

So I guess she's still on

And Mauli says now he liked old maid

Now he's being all nice to the gals not mean anymore

Man, they are being cruel to some blond

He called her tone deaf! Oh right, she is.

"not enough time to teach her"

Kelly! from the Nat'l Guard in Alabama, she's the crier they keep cutting to
Now they're all dancing

And the woman said, "you're not dancing with a pole!" HA! love it.

Jacqui the choreographer

She's making all the girls feel bad

The red head is terrible!

She can't dance

Her name is Tracey from NEW JERSEY!!! is 32

I guess Jess is just in the medium

Not bad enough to get picked on but not at the top

It's night time. and so there's talking heads and "confessionals"

And shots of girls contemplating what they'll tell their friends when they get kicked off

*commercials*

That whole section with the choreographer was absurd

I mean some girls can't sing and some can't dance

I can only think of like 3 girls like Jess, who might be okay at both

But what do I know?

We're back!

They're giving out belts to the girls numbered 1-10
Now that's classy.

Sarah is #1

Sarah- 26 dancer from LA

#2 is Ashley, fake blond

#3 Jocleyn

#4 JESS!

Wow!

Coyote woman says "I hope your kindness and determination help you"

She's in the top 5! wow Oh lordy

Only #10 is gonna leave!

Is this a series? I thought they'd just pick one, in a single show. It's not like the pickings are ripe. Maybe CMT's desperate for filler shows?
Can't believe they're gonna keep this BS on for ... 9 more weeks?

So #10 was the redhead who can't sing or dance---figures!

#10, "nightclub promoter"- new slang for dancer/whore?

She's from Jersey - going home

They just showed a montage of the worst of the redhead

Wow, she was bad

Okay, I'm back. I apologize profusely for what you've just read. Do they show this as torture to Al Queda prisoners? I think I lost IQ points. I might need to read some chunk of the Bible to offset the hell that was the hour of TV I watched tonight.

I just have to vent: In what world is this entertainment? Why does anyone with a brain watch this, or American Gladiators, American Idol, ANTM etc? I think anyone who likes this stuff deserves to be dropped off the planet. Seriously. Sorry if it offends you. Stupid Reality TV is only watched by stupid stupid people who are wasting their lives.

The Scrabble Blog

At the end of 2007 I got caught up in the social phenomenon known as Facebook. Several friends of mine from a popular television forum joined up. I stood my ground initially while the wave grew momentum. But I could not hold my position, and weakened when I found out the connection between Facebook and Scrabulous. Along with the other salmon, I joined in swimming upstream to play my fellow friends in Scrabble and Prolific.

When I grew up with the board and the tiles, I was not a great player. We didn’t play it often. I think repetition helps in a game like Scrabble. Instead, I built puzzles. There was a 250 piece Peanuts puzzle that my sisters and I would drag out on rainy days and compete to see how fast a two-player team could finish it. We had a picnic table in the garage and would build it out there. We tried to mix up teams a bit- I have a younger sister and an older sister, and usually we’d have at least friend or neighbor over, to make rotating two-player teams. For some reason, it sticks in my brain that once we finished the puzzle in about 20 minutes, which was a record that stuck around for a while. (When we were kids, we kept track of all accomplishments.)

My sisters were not into puzzles as much as I was. As a teenager, I had a large flat board that I kept in the corner of the living room near the stereo. Big enough to assemble a 1000 piece puzzle on. My Mom, a fastidious cleaner, would make me responsible to vacuum that area. She stayed away, lest a puzzle piece get scooped up. I would sometimes listen to Red Sox games on the radio (or TV38 from Boston) while trying to piece together tough puzzles: New York City skyline at night (all little bits of window lights in the pieces) a plate of cookies (pieces of oatmeal vs pieces of chocolate chips) a glass of milk and a pile of Oreo cookies (very tough – all the Oreos looked the same!) Christmas decorations (lots of bows on boxes) and the dreaded all yellow bananas with just the Dole sticker! That one took forever to finish!

With college and my life as an overworked 20-something in Los Angeles, I moved into making different kinds of puzzles, as a professional in the film biz. Doing puzzles at home was something that was no longer ‘relaxing.’ Basically the job put an end to puzzles. Except for the one time I put together a 3D puzzle of the Millenium Falcon when I was dealing with insomnia.

One year I went home for Christmas, and my brother in law taught me how to play a variation of Speed Scrabble. No board, 7 pieces facedown, you only play with the pieces in front of you. Whoever uses all their pieces to make words on their “own” board successfully would say Take Two, and every player had to take on an additional 2 pieces. (I will admit the link I have above describes it better than I do.)

I was addicted! My brother in law is a smart guy, and a good athlete. The fact that I could beat him at Speed Scrabble – not all the time mind you- was a huge bonus. It definitely was fun to play with the family.

Now, a few months into playing Scrabble online, I realize it is something I’m definitely using as a crutch while I’m not working as much. I miss the interaction of playing someone directly, but it’s a lot of fun – as long as I don’t take it so seriously.

So any of you who play me, and read this blog- please know that I enjoy kicking your ass!

The Art of Email blog

I received an email late yesterday from my tax company asking me to clarify a few things. One question was simply an address confirmation, one was about costs, and the last one was something that is hard to write, and better if I talk about it. I started the reply email thinking how to approach the third question and how I’d write about it, but abandoned the idea.

How do you approach email? I see it as a resurrection of the lost art of letter writing. I know people lament the passing of writing notes on actual paper, and receiving something in the mail besides bills and junk mail that you only peruse to see if the Big 5 is having a sale on sneakers or other exercise equipment. (Sure, maybe I flip through the Pennysaver too but that’s a whole ‘nuther blog.) But I enjoy writing emails.

I write emails to people easily. Sometimes it’s just replying to previous notes, sharing ideas and jokes. (Note: But I don't send multi-forwarded crap. I may have seven years bad luck for not continuing on forwards from friends/relatives.) Often, I will jumpstart conversations that way. My thought process is this: emails can’t hurt. Write something, hit send -- it can’t hurt. Of course, I suggest treating emotional issues on a more personal level, like talking. Getting bad news via email or text is not the way to go.

Discretion is needed of course. Don’t hit reply all -- in fact, why do they have reply and reply all so close together? Know your buttons! I can honestly say after 11 years of being online and having an email address, I’ve never written a reply all email without knowing exactly who would read my missive.

But I enjoy this communication. If letter writing is “lost,” the idea behind it, of sharing personal notes, is not. I also enjoy talking to people on the phone too. I think there’s a line where I’d rather talk to someone than write an email, so I pick up the phone.

I have a friend who tells me he reads all my emails, and enjoys them. But he never replies and writes back. So that’s a one-way email. Much like writing Aunt Barnes with a thank you note when I was a kid. I don’t mind the non-repliers- I take that into account when I write them. If they complain they don’t hear from me anymore, tough cookies. But I can be difficult to shut up and like to share my brilliance with others, so there’s that too.

I have a client who can’t stand that conversations go on in email with all sorts of replies, copying him. So he won’t read his email all the time. If I send him correspondence, in order to get his attention I have to call him and say “check your email” then wait for him to view the jpg/information and give feedback. Obviously the client is NOT a Blackberry addict. Nor am I.

Since I am middle aged, you notice I haven’t even touched on texting. I’ve done it a few times. Again, best to know whom you’re communicating. When I went to a convention last October, it was the preferred method of information. But I rolled my eyes several times, thinking out loud just call me instead. If I know someone and just want to send a key piece of info, I can see the benefits of texting. But sometimes texting takes a bit too much effort instead of a phone call.

Football Sunday 10am is a pretty clear cut text message. But in a phone call, you can ask “Whose going to bring bagels? Do you have any beer? I’m not drinking your lame-ass Snapple” etc. That’d take up too much typing time on my cell. Plus, I’m not that good at being concise, which is why free form writing from me can run over 600 words very easily.

The Mini Blog

I'm a bit distracted today for a few reasons that I want to get out the way early:
1. I washed the kitchen floor. I mean, after yesterday's blog the writing was on the wall. How could I not wash it? Now even my blog shows that I delay cleanliness for blogging. Priorities!

2. The HR rep from the company that I had a phone interview with last week, returned my message. The job went to a different applicant.

3. I got an email from a friend, a "business peer" about having to work all last night to get something done by 9am today.

4. Victoria's Secret sent an offer for free panties and $10 off on a purchase of a bra.

Along with the fact that my back is feeling great, I feel much better today. The phone call was around 10am, and surprised me. I'm always hearing about how people interview and never hear back either way about jobs. So when K called me, even with non-positive news, I was okay with it. She admitted it was something she meant to do since last Thursday and had put it off and forgot about it. I had realized last Thursday that not hearing back from the Company, to schedule a face-to-face interview, that the opportunity was dead. But it was still nice to get that call from K. wishing me well and being friendly.

After allowing myself to make some moves on Scrabulous, it was off to do the floor. And when that was done, I re-read the email I got at midnight from A., who had been at work since 9am Monday, and was still in his office, to approve and make sure this one project got done. He's Uber-Productive, like I used to be. Instead, remembering what I used to go through on days/nights like that, I hope he got some rest, a shower, and maybe some time off today. I always hated the day after working all night.

Lastly, I am one of the world's biggest Red Sox fans. Haven't blogged about that yet. But if anyone saw how the Red Sox celebrated on the field after winning the World Series last fall, you'll appreciate the dancing in this video.

The Productive Blog

I recently read an essay that asked, "are you being productive?" It raised the question of what does it mean to be productive. And it ends with the idea that You are the only person with the answer.

Well, after years of having tons of work, and spending huge amounts of overtime and weekends being stretched thin, I have had to re-think this idea. Because I used to move mountains and coordinate things to happen now! and ignite people to get things done for me asap! And in the last few months I've done that less and less.

In one way, I feel so less stress, that I sleep better, eat healthier, have continued my quest to lose weight and feel good physically. (*except when I swung at a pitch in the batting cage last week and tweaked my back. Not fun, but I'm feeling much better, thanks.)

But now I find myself at a loss in my work. I'm not commuting anywhere, therefore I'm not clogging the streets of Los Angeles. So that's a positive. I have checked out other jobs and talked to people on the phone. I had a phone interview last week, and it went well. But after being SO productive, I read that essay and thought - I am not productive anymore.

When I got up today, bright and early on Monday- what was I going to produce? What could I accomplish? Hmm, maybe wash the kitchen floor. But that's always something that can be pushed off. Until it gets gross. So I pushed off doing that.

This is what I've done, not counting things that I've done on the computer like check email:
Messed with my bathroom tub drain. Again. It's always acting up.
I watered some plants around the house, inside and outside. I talked to my neighbor about their dog and the incessant barking that goes on all day. (Never noticed this until I started working at home. I thought he only barked at night. Nope. Full time job for this dog!)
I picked up clothes at the cleaner, and picked up a small lunch.
I filled the gas tank with money and came home. And turned on my laptop again. Played some tunes.

Has my day been productive?

About a year ago, I bought a book called Gig: Americans talk about their jobs. Even though I enjoyed reading Stud Terkel's Working after I got out of college, I had a harder time reading Gig. I don't fault the authors. I thought by reading it, I'd have a better appreciation for my job moving mountains to produce a short-life entertainment product. But it didn't turn out that way. I suppose I should have had an epiphany about life and work and how I see myself in context of "what I do" but I still don't see it. Right now, my business card is out of date: the old work address is on there, the wrong phone numbers. Is it only my card that is out of date?

So as I've become less and less productive in my field of work, and can still do that job well, it's harder to see what's next or what was the point of being so productive. I miss it, because right now it does feel like a loss. I feel myself fighting that feeling, that I can make a different kind of puzzle and accomplish something else.

You are the only person with the answer.

But the kitchen floor still waits for me.

The Importance of Reading Comics on Sunday blog

One of the first sites I read every Sunday is comics.com, to read Get Fuzzy and all my favorite comics. I used to get newspapers all the time (of course) but stopped getting the LA Times and LA Daily News about 5-6 years ago. LOVED reading a Sunday paper, flipping through all the sections, catching up on news that I missed during the week. I'm not gonna say that I'm better off not reading the paper, but with internet news I do feel like I am missing some things I used to read.

But the choice of online comics is better. I like the usual comics, the popular ones (Get Fuzzy, Pearls Before Swine, Doonesbury, Opus) but comics.com and gocomics.com have enabled me to find and enjoy comics that don't get printed in newspapers.

I only discovered LIO in the last 6 months, and now I love it unconditionally and try to read it everyday. Others I try to read daily: Grand Avenue, Brevity, Reality Check, Red and Rover, Foxtrot Classics, The FOOB, The Duplex, Loose Parts, Luann, Non Sequitor, The Norm, Rudy Park/Candorville and I guess I have to admit I read On A Claire Day.

I can't say I read it all week, but I enjoy 9 Chickweed Lane because the creator draws so well, and does exceptional work on Sundays. Frazz is similar- I don't read it often but sometimes it's well done. Sometimes I read Ripley's Believe it or not, but then I scratch my head and curse the idea that I still read something that was interesting to me when I was 7. Some others on my "sometimes" list- Red Meat, Slowpoke, State of the Union, The Argyle Sweater.

For Better Or For Worse is still the car wreck on the side of the road. I still can't look away. Perplexing how that comic has become more interesting as it gets more cliche and boring. The FOOBiverse is a site I found about 2 years ago, and it's a great site to check out. Oh, and Comics I just don't understand is a fun site too.


They still do repeat runs of Calvin and Hobbes and Boondocks online. I miss them both, as well as Citizen Dog, a comic that ended its run early as well. But then there are the "oldies" like Blondie, Hagar the Horrible, Family Circle etc where you wonder why they still take up space. But even these internet sites keep running crap like Ferd'nand, Nancy, Farcus, Fat Cats and Raising Duncan. Makes me wonder what kind of contracts these artists have to enable such junk to continue.

I think I'll always enjoy reading comics on Sunday, like I did this morning. I tried drawing a comic when I was in college, but I draw terribly and I was under the influence of Doonesbury far too much. When my roommate even couldn't generate interest to view my drawings, the writing was on the wall.

The anti-Chunky Peanut Butter blog

I like smooth peanut butter. And I only like my pb on Ritz crackers. No sandwiches. For sandwiches you need good stuff, like roast beef. Or pastrami, chicken breast, turkey etc. I've had to re-discover my sandwich making abilities with working out of my house. No more walks down a crowded restaurant-filled street to have lunch. No sirree. In fact, I hardly have traditional fast food much anymore, cutting back on it more and more and more over the years.

Besides, why even go to a fast food place? Do they have peanut butter? Seriously. When I was a kid, my mom made brown bag lunches and I had peanut butter (smooth, no jelly, no jam) like, 3 times a week. Wendy's? Jack in the Box? Arby's? No peanut butter related foods. Don't give me that bull about "allergies" either. Is the populace demanding fast food PB&J? Is there a hole in the world, a demand that's not being met?

So even with all this history of peanut butter sandwiches in my life, my childhood... I hardly have it as an adult. Yet when I make lunch daily, I reach for a bialy, I go for the mustard, the cheese, some lettuce... whither peanut butter?

As you can tell, this blog hits the hard stuff. Look out!