J. Chris Tucker

2012

2012-01-01T23:32:00.000-08:00

Well 2012 is upon us. The last year of our lives. The year of prophecy, and of global destruction. Sounds like fun!

For me, I have a list (that keeps growing) of what 2012 will be and what it will hold. It's a list that I'm going to keep to myself, at least for now.

Let's just say that 2012 is the year.

Means to an End

2011-05-03T00:49:00.000-07:00

For a while now, I've been reading books on television writing. Books on spec scripts, creating pilots, character development, etc. Yet every time I finish one of these books, I feel like I still need to read and learn more about writing, like I haven't yet figured out what I need to do or should be doing.

What I should be doing, if I want to be a writer, is write. I shouldn't necessarily quit learning about the process, but I should quit only learning about the process, and not actually doing any of the process. That's what I should be doing, if I want to be a writer.

There's an issue here, however. I don't know that I want to be a writer. I certainly don't feel like one. I've been told by others that I should be a writer, or that I look like a writer (whatever that means!), but deep down inside, I don't really identify myself as a writer.

Really, I just see it as a means to an end. I have this whiteboard full of ideas for creative projects. Almost any idea could be developed into a film, a TV series, a novel, a comic strip or book, etc. The problem is that they stay on that whiteboard and don't go anywhere. Sometimes I try and develop an idea into something, such as Nut Jobs, a web comic about squirrels I created that has lasted all of six strips, and that hasn't been touched in over a year. I created it because it was the only way that it was going to get made. I don't consider myself an artist, and I'm pretty sure my high school and college art teachers would agree with this. It's not my forte.

As for writing, it's not that I can't write per se, it's just that I feel like I have to follow a formula, and that I have to learn that formula, and do the process by following the steps. It feels forced rather than desired, and that just seems wrong to me. Maybe that's how it is for all writer's though. Maybe it's like every other form of exercise, where you often dread doing it until you've done it, and then you realize how great it feels to have done it. You can't wait to do it again tomorrow, even though you know that tomorrow you're going to dread doing it once again.

In a way, I'd love to just take that "Created by" title, and leave the "written by" title for those who actually want to be writers. I just don't know if that's doable without having a few "written by"credits of my own though.

Do the means justify the end?

Getting Un-Stuck

2011-04-14T22:55:00.000-07:00

At some point in my past, I picked up a very bad habit. I learned to look at myself as being stuck in situations. Stuck in the school or workplace, stuck in relationships, and stuck in accommodations.

I saw my jobs as things I couldn't leave for various reasons. Maybe there was no one to replace me, and I'd feel like I was burdening the company to replace me. Maybe I'd just negotiated a raise with benefits, and to leave would make it feel like I hadn't appreciated that. Maybe I was afraid that to change jobs would mean a potentially drastic pay cut.

Leases and roommates kept me stuck in housing situations. I didn't want to let anyone down, and I didn't want to leave anyone hanging. It didn't keep me from wanting out though, so I trudged along until I figured out how to get unstuck.

In a way I guess I could say I've been fortunate that I've not really been stuck in too many relationships, whether romantic or platonic. Some tricky ones took a bit of figuring out and distancing, and there were moments of feeling stuck in one relationship or another, but nothing long lasting. I have friends however that have dealt much more with this problem, and as of yet have been unable to get themselves unstuck. They will, eventually and hopefully.

Feeling stuck is something I do to myself. No one else makes me feel like I'm stuck in a situation, only I do. I was talking to a coworker about future goals, and my thought was that without training someone over a course of time to replace me, I'm the only one who can do my job. She casually commented that I'm not irreplaceable, that there other people out there who can do my job, and probably do it better. It was a comment that relaxed me, not because I want to be replaced or anything, but because it sort of melted that feeling of being stuck away.

Don't allow yourself to think of stuck, or you will be, but only by yourself. If you need to get out of something, anything, you can. It's very possible that someone will end up feeling hurt, and it may even be you, but isn't a little pain worth the freedom? Feeling stuck is a negative emotion, and it's not going to benefit anyone in the long run.

Tucker's Treehouse

2011-03-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

One of the things I consistently look for in life is a place of solitude, sort of like Superman's Fortress, only not so icy or secret. I always want a place where I can go and just think or watch the world go by.

I had a couple of such spots at the summer camp I worked at in Michigan, and the Harbour Green Park in Vancouver is another one. I never found a spot at Chapman, nor near any of the places I've lived in Orange County and LA. The closest I've come to is the various walks I would take and to take to Starbucks and other coffee shops.

I was driving back from Orange County today when I realized where this desire for a place of solitude came from. I was reflecting on life (as I often do when driving alone), and when I started thinking about my teenage years, I was reminded of my first spot. We moved to Michigan when I was 11, and the house we moved to had a lot of trees. Our previous house in Michigan had been somewhat tree deprived, so I loved climbing the trees in Michigan. It wasn't long before my dad built me a treehouse in the tree next the house. I guess I'd never thought about my dad being able to do that before then, as he was much more of an intellectual and white-collar. But he built a rather sturdy and awesome treehouse, and taught me a lot in the process. I had no idea what treated lumber was before this project, and I'm pretty sure I didn't know what chicken wire was, either.

So he built my treehouse, and I spent a LOT of time in it. Often with friends, and often solo. It was my spot. My brother and his friends had the roof of the garage (counting my treehouse, we had three ways of getting onto the roof without a ladder), and I and my friends had my treehouse.

When I was 16, we moved to a house about 10 miles away, and I was now too old for a new treehouse, and with the ability to drive and attending boarding school, I spent far less time at home, so the need for such a spot was lessened. I don't recall looking for a similar spot at that house, but I know that I can't think of anywhere on the property that would suffice.

I haven't really gone back to look at the old house where my treehouse was, but I do know that both the treehouse, and the tree that held it, are long gone. I know I'll keep looking for my spot, and future spots to come, but nothing will compare to my treehouse of old.

I also know that if I have kids, especially if a boy, I will do everything I can to provide them a treehouse, just as my dad did for me. Thanks for the treehouse Dad, and for instilling the desire to just get a way once in a while and enjoy life.

From Then Til Now

2011-02-24T00:09:00.000-08:00

Whoops. It's been a few months. Sorry. Here's what you've possibly missed.

On the 19th of November, I turned 29. Last year of my 20s. I spent the occasion with friends at a local favorite bar and just had a general good time. The planning for the 30th has begun. I'm looking forward to both the shindig, and the age. It'll be good.

Thanksgiving was spent with family-friends. Not blood related, but closer than mere friends. It was good times, and I discovered I like brussels sprouts. Who knew?

December provided me with two weeks vacation surrounding the holidays. I spent those weeks in Michigan with my folks, and spent a lot of time with more family-friends. Too often I forget how many great friends I have out there, and how much I wish I could see them more often. Life these days seems to pass too quickly, and before I know it, years have flown by.

Christmas was low-key. Spent it with my parents and original "other parents", the parents of one of my best friends growing up. It used to be tradition that we spent Thanksgiving with them, but since I'm now in California, and my parents in Tennessee, the tradition hasn't been observed. So, this year we did it for Christmas. It was really nice, and again, made me wish we could do it more often.

Sadly my brother and his wife weren't able to join us in the frozen north (which was occasionally rather warm), and they were missed. I can only recall one other Christmas that wasn't spent as a family, and it was a Christmas I spent in California without them, although I honestly can't remember why I wasn't there. Strange.

January was New Year's, which was low key with more friends. The mellowness was nice, although I think I expected a more rowdy engagement. Not a disappointment though. I worked a lot, and took a long weekend in the middle of the month to make up for it, and headed up to the bay area to see friends I hadn't seen in a while. One of them works at Pixar, and so I got to meet up with her for lunch and a small tour of the main building. Seemed like a fun place to work.

We're into February, and I've been working a lot still, though not as much as January. I've been doing some new functions at work, on top of my old ones, and it's kept me very busy, very scatterbrained, and very "moody" as my co-workers like to say. I prefer to call it stress and pressure and whatnot, but it is what it is. I often feel like I have too many hats, but have no way of passing any off, so I just try and keep a few on the hat rack and not wear them all at once.

And that's where we are now. Boring, I know, but maybe that's why I've waited so long to update. Perhaps I can get back to more of a normal schedule and actually post on topics of interest.

Clutter

2010-11-03T23:45:00.000-07:00

A common theme between home, work, and pretty much everywhere I make a base for myself is clutter. I have a knack of putting things in places they don't belong, mainly because I've never taken the time to create a place for everything. I have sentimental knick-knacks next to computer parts and repair tools and office supplies. I have gifts for people I meant to give them months ago next to blank CDs, DVDs, and a flashlight. I have a rack of MiniDV tapes I'm never going to touch again sitting next to books on my bookshelf.

Work is no better. It's not that I don't want to be organized, or that I don't try, because I do want to, and I do try to. Half of the time I put things in various places to "deal with later" because I'm too lazy to do it at the time. Eventually I go on a "cleaning" spree, which results in just moving things around so that it looks less cluttered, but everything is still there. I wouldn't call myself a hoarder, because I do eventually realize I'm never going to use something, and get rid of it. I'm just prone to cluttering.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me though. I put things "away" like I store things in my brain. If my brain were a storage room, it'd be full of piles. There'd be plenty of shelves and filing cabinets and things, but nothing would be sorted. It's just how I work, I think. I typically bounce around topics with no segue in between them, because that's how they're stacked in my head. Occasionally I mentally re-arrange them, and throw out the thoughts and memories I don't need anymore, but for the most part, I just shuffle them from one pile to another.

If I were smart, which apparently I'm not, I would have been dusting off surfaces as I clear them and before putting things back on them. Whoops. Next time? Ha.

Hm, another song in iTunes I've never played, nor heard before. I give you Christina Perri' "Jar of Hearts":

Yesterday Is Just a Memory

2010-11-01T23:00:00.000-07:00

I know time is constant, but sometimes it just feels like it moves faster than others. October feels like it was blinked away. I remember doing a bunch of things, but I feel like I paid October's rent yesterday, and November's today. Somewhere in there were five Fridays, five Saturdays, and five Sundays though. Crazy.

I'm amazed at how long I've known some people, and how much my friendships and relationships have changed in that time. In the last decade I've gained a lot of friends and lost quite a few. Although I wouldn't say I lost them so much as the friendships just sort of fizzled, as they do. I read an article not too long about how social networks are messing with our normal friendship cycles. We're meant to gain and lose friends; it's part of life. But with social networks, we no longer say goodbye. We just keep our former friends just a reach away, although now they're more of acquaintances, even though we used to talk to them daily and knew everything about them. It's kind of saddening.

Not as saddening though as the number of people I can't be friends with anymore, because they've left us. Sunday I learned of yet another person from my past who passed away, and while I was somewhat sad about it, I hadn't talked to her in 7 years. It was more of a reminder of the people who were closer to me that have died recently.

Death, like time, is also a constant, and for some it just comes sooner than it does for others. That's just the way it is, and the way it will be, unless the various religions have some truth to them. If they do, great. If not, well, what will it matter? We'll be dead.

Vertical Horizon - I'm Still Here:

That Kind of Night

2010-10-19T22:49:00.000-07:00

From Vangelis's 1995 album Voices, with vocals by Stina Nordenstam, here is "Ask the Mountains":

One is Bliss

2010-10-18T22:46:00.000-07:00

Making an unwise choice because you don't know better can be chalked up to ignorance. Making an unwise choice when you do know better is being stupid. I think I saved myself from making a stupid choice today. I just hope I can keep myself from still making that stupid choice.

Unrelated, heard a song today I thought I'd share. Here's "Mine to Remember", by WAZ. I've never heard of WAZ before, but I intend to hear more.

Best Face Forward

2010-10-17T23:21:00.000-07:00

Whenever I get in the mood to change my photo on my various social networking sites, I can never find one I like enough to use. This has led me to discover that my apartment is not an interesting place to take self-portrait photos. Which means I need to work on obtaining a good new photo. Maybe I'll do something at work which has a couple of interesting spots, or use a friend or such to get something done. I don't even like the photos of me from events, because I'm either making some weird goofy face or it's me and at least one other person in the photo.

If you haven't heard the band Blind Pilot, you need to. If you have, then you will enjoy hearing them again. I give you "One Red Thread".

Where I Am Free

2010-10-15T15:13:00.001-07:00

do you want to see it?
the place where i am free
'cause in my mind i've been there
and there's no one here but me

In a tweet today, Wil Wheaton wished his followers a wonderful weekend and closed with "don't sacrifice the journey for the destination." I'll get there, someday, and I'll enjoy the process.

Augustana - Twenty Years:

Written By

2010-10-14T23:00:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, or maybe it was only a week ago, my coworker asked me why I wasn't working towards my desire to be a writer by writing for a small project our company is working for. Not having a good answer, I approached my boss about it, and she was optimistic. Today the producer running the project shot me an email with a script to re-write. That's sort of what this project entails for now, rewriting previous segments. So I'm excited about this, and nervous at the same time as it's something different and challenging. But, I'm confident that I can do a good job so long as I have proper guidance to start. I'm not gonna get it right the first time all on my own, and that's quite alright with me.

Pandora keeps introducing me to awesome music. Seabird is a recent discovery thanks to it, although the band isn't really that new. They're Christian alternative, according to Wikipedia, but so far I haven't heard anything that screams Jesus. Here's an interesting song that's appropriately titled "Apparitions".

Outside Looking In

2010-10-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes your friends tell you things about yourself that jolt you. Your first instinct is to defend yourself, because in a way, you're under attack. Then you think about it a bit more, and you realize they aren't really attacking you, they're just pointing out something they see, and you start to see it in and for yourself. Then you resolve to do something about it, and hope you can accomplish your own resolution. Thank you, friend(s).

The Beatles - With A Little Help From My Friends

Hittin' It

2010-10-12T23:28:00.000-07:00

I'm starting something new today. Something I plan to stick with and see what happens. What is it? Can't say. Sorry! But you'll know soon enough I hope, assuming I stick with the project. I'm sure I'll be showing it off soon enough if all goes well. So here's to me!

Joshua Radin's new album, "The Rock and the Tide" came out today. I like it, but then, I like pretty much all of his stuff, so I'm biased. Off his record, here's "Streetlight", because I love streetlights, and I like this song. Now go buy his album!

Another Life

2010-10-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

If I were to move to Vancouver, and were to pick a non-film/tv career, I'd want to be a seaplane pilot for one of the shuttle services that flies to Vancouver, Nanaimo, and the Gulf Islands. I don't know why I'd want to do that, but I would. Or maybe just drive the little boats to/from Granville Island. Something where I'd meet people, see regulars, and have a routine I guess. Maybe when I retire...

I was recently informed of Jason Lytle. I've only heard two of his songs so far, but I'm really liking the sound. He was a member of the indie band Grandaddy, but has his own album out, "Yours Truly, The Commuter". If I hadn't looked him up, I wouldn't have known he was 41 from his sound.

Jason Lytle - Brand New Sun:

I Could Be Dreaming

2010-10-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

"If you had such a dream, would you get up and do the thing you believe in?"

Like most people, I have dreams, both while awake, and while asleep. Sometimes I wake up and wish that I could live the life I was having in my dream. Those dreams are usually ones in which I have something I desire in my 'real' life, whether it's a specific person, situation, job, etc. Then I reflect upon these dreams, comparing what I had in the dream to what I want from life, and contemplating how I can make the dream come true, and then I move on.

One thing I'm very bad at is pursuing my dreams. I've always been somewhat of a "satisfactant", in that if I'm neither happy nor unhappy, I am satisfied and don't need to change things. I often take the stance that it is I that needs to be happier with what I have, rather than change what I have to be happier. I guess this works sometimes, but not to the level that I take it.

No, no, I need to pursue those dreams. I also need to stop talking about doing it, and just get out there and do it.

2010-10-08T23:27:00.000-07:00

Today one of my friends from middle school, who I still keep in contact with, got engaged. I'm excited for him and his fiance, who I've only met once, but she seemed nice and they seemed like a good match. I'm only slightly surprised he beat my other middle school friend to the punch, as the newly engaged couple has not been dating as long as the non-engaged couple. I've been wondering when my non-engaged friend would pop the question, but I think this new development will actually delay it a bit, as he's not the type to copy the actions of others. Anyway, my friend is engaged, and that's awesome.

So, in honor of my friend's engagement, I give you Alanis Morrisette's cover of Cole Porter's "Let's Do It":

Soldier On A Field

2010-10-07T23:38:00.000-07:00

A few coworkers and I got together for happy hour at the bar up the street after work today. One of my coworkers left about 20 minutes before the rest of us, and another coworker mentioned we should head over, as we couldn't let a soldier out on the field by himself. I immediately thought of "Home" by Live.

3 If By Train

2010-10-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

I remember as a youngster learning the infamous poem of "Paul Revere's Ride", and will always recall "One if by land, and two if by sea". I, however, would like to choose option three, which I have designated as "if by train".

For a long time I've wanted to take a long train adventure. I've never really thought of an international train trip like the Orient Express so much as just a slow trip across country. Sort of like a cruise on land. I discovered today that it'd be relatively inexpensive to take a train from Burbank to Seattle, and then a bus up to Vancouver. I'm tempted. Very, very tempted.

I really like Joe Purdy's music. It's even better on rainy days like today. "Make It Up" starts with the lyric "When a train comes, I don't know what to do / I'm leavin' town, but I ain't leavin' you". That's how I feel about that train trip I mentioned. I want to do it, but I don't think I'd want to come back when I do. When I finally leave town, it'll be by train I think. Going somewhere without a car would really cement the deal.

Anyway, "Make It Up", but Joe Purdy:

A decade

2010-10-05T23:25:00.000-07:00

Some days it's hard to remember that the choices we made have helped us become who we are. This coming weekend is the ten year reunion for my class at the boarding school I attended in high school. I left after my junior year, and while sometimes I wish I'd stayed, I would miss some of the friends I made as a result of transferring. Interestingly, none of the those friends are from the school I transferred to, but rather from other circumstances of living at home that year, such as former coworkers I still keep in contact with and see on a rare occurrence, but talk to often.

Back in those days, I was really into Jars of Clay. I still like them, but not to at the same level as I did then. However, their latest album, "The Shelter" came out today. I don't know how I feel about it yet. It's a different sound, and that's fine, as bands need to progress, but it's just not hitting me the way their previous albums have. It feels tired on the first listen, and that's a bummer. I suppose that since all but one song feature another artist, and it's actual title is "Jars of Clay Presents The Shelter", I can only think of it as more a compilation album, and that their next "real" album will bring back all that I've come to know and love about their music.

"Shelter", of the album "The Shelter", contains the lyric "In the shelter of each other, we will live", which are old Irish words that inspired this album. The album jacket states, "These songs are meant to celebrate and inspire small communities of people to care for one another and embody the love, peace and hope promised by God in the life of Jesus." Thus, it is the song of the day.

Moving Forward

2010-10-04T23:26:00.000-07:00

Today I took a step toward the future. I asked my boss about the possibility of writing some of the short scripts for a very low budget project we're working on. She said the chances were good, and we'd talk to the writer/producer about it when he starts, which is still to be determined. So that's exciting.

I feel productive. Maybe my couple of short vacations have refreshed me, even though I'm still feeling a bit under the weather from the cold I've been battling. Maybe it was the constant not-quite-rain we had today that's rejuvenated me. Friends of mine proclaim themselves creatures of the sun; I am a creature of the rain. I was a bit annoyed with people who were complaining about the rain, as if we had to deal with it so often. C'mon people, enjoy the changes life brings us once in a while!

Heard a new song today that I liked a lot. "My Own" by The Perishers was appropriate today. Why? Watch/listen, and see:

The Calm Before the Storm?

2010-10-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks and weekends have been hectic. Things will be quiet for a while. No trips planned until Christmas, although there's a potential Thanksgiving trip that could be interesting, and to somewhere I've never been and never anticipated going. A year ago I did say that I wanted 2010 to be my year of travel, and it seems to be coming to fruition rather well.

Today's song is Muse - Unintended. I've apparently heard it before, as it was rated in iTunes, but I heard it again tonight while walking to Starbucks after the long drive from Vegas, and really found myself loving it. Quiet, melodic, lyrical, and great. It comes off their 1999 debut album, Showbiz, and is well worth a listen. It doesn't even sound like it's 11 years old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9LOFXwPwC4

Never The Same

2010-10-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

When I worked at Disneyland, I was always asked if being behind the scenes 'ruined the magic'. It never really did, as I always looked for what made things work the way they do. I'd look for the controls, the electronics, etc that made the rides go. So it didn't really ruin the magic for me so much as amplify it.

A week ago today I was touring the sets of Smallville, a show I watch week after week with anticipation. It's in it's tenth and final season, and in a couple of weeks we'll be treated to watching the 200th episode. Monumental, really. Beginning last week, and continuing with this weeks episode, I'm no longer able to watch Smallville the same way. I've BEEN there, stood where they're standing. I now see the 'bigger picture' of what's around them. Is the magic ruined? Nope. It's again amplified, because now I get to see how they do it. How they create the various looks from things that can be so non-descript.

Such a cool, cool experience. Someday I'll give others that same extended vantage.

I'm off to Vegas for the weekend, and so I COULD leave you with the ever cliche "Viva Las Vegas" by Elvis for today's song. Don't pretend like you don't love it, because you do, and we both know it. But I won't do that. Instead, I'll leave you with "Geraldine" by Glasvegas.

God bless social workers.

Weighed Down

2010-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those days or weeks where everything just weighs on you, whether those things should or shouldn't? That's been my week. It's not over yet, but I've been rather melancholy this week. I attribute a lot of it to my back hurting since Tuesday, although progressively less each day, which is good.

For the last week (starting last Thursday while sitting in the rain on the seawall in Vancouver watching seaplanes land and take off in the harbor), I've been doing a lot of thinking about myself and what I want. I've come to the conclusion that I'm ready for whatever is next. I don't dislike work, but I don't love it anymore. I'm also not in love with LA, but I also don't know that it's time to leave it. If what I want to do is write and/or produce, then I need to start that path, and figure out how to do it financially. I'm tired of doing things for money, rather than for pleasure.

Tomorrow is Friday, which brings its usual donut/bagel day at work and payday, but this particular Friday adds a trip to Vegas for the annual Frozen Fury hockey game. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also worried that my head is going to be lost in thought for much of it, although perhaps it will be a welcome distraction. Plus a friend of mine from my high school years that I haven't seen in a couple of years is also in Vegas this weekend, so we're going to meet up and discuss a potential project, which is always good.

We have some casting people at work who are searching for talent for some projects we're working on. While I was changing out the toner cartridge in their printer today, we started talking about televisions hows we were watching and into, and halfway through the casting director asked me if I had ever wanted to be an actor. He stated that he could see me as a character actor. As a child I had dreams of acting, but I knew it wasn't something I should pursue, and I still know this. But what led him to that assumption? What is it about me that says "character actor"? I was reminded of the time my acting for non-actors teacher in college told me he saw me as a writer. What did he see then? Would he say the same thing now?

Speaking of seeing things in me, one of the people I hung out with in Vancouver remarked about how beautiful my eyes are. Not to be vain, but I've sort of noticed this about myself as well. I love my eyes, but I don't know why. Sometimes I stand in front of a mirror and sort of stare into my eyes. I think I'm looking for myself in them. There's depth in my eyes; I can see it. There's also something trapped in them, I think. Am I locking myself away somewhow? Preventing myself from being that which is me?

Today's song is "My Shadow", by Keane, because it's time for me to make a start to get to know my heart. Time for me to show my face, and take my place. I'm not leaving by the road I came in on.

Thunderbolt and Lightning!

2010-09-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

Something random happened in LA today. Well, at least in the San Fernando Valley. We had a rainbow, lightning, and thunder! There are even some accounts of a double rainbow all the way! But what does it mean? It is a sign of the end, or of "the big one", or any such similar major event in our world? Who can say? Certainly not I!

Song of the day has to go to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody".

Thank you, that is all.

Back to the Grind

2010-09-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Today was a pretty crappy day. It wasn't horrible, nor was anything really out of the ordinary, except for my back deciding to remind me of its presence all day long. I don't remember doing anything to it, but I woke up in quite a bit of pain that was amplified with any movement. However, trooper that I am, I faced the day. When I had difficulty standing still and with walking, I thought about calling into work sick. Then I realized that most days I just sit in my chair and wait for the phone to ring so that I can assist them, and figured I'd probably be able to handle that.

Walking like Quasimodo, I made it to work at a slower pace than usual. I settled in and things felt pretty good in my chair. Then the phone calls started, and things kept needing to be done on the 2nd floor of the building. Rarely do I have anything to do up there, but today it was all up there. I thought maybe the universe was telling me something, that maybe it's time to move on from all of this.

Then I find out that another friend on the other side of the country is randomly dealing with back pain today, and that other people are having generally bad days. It reminds me that while many people have a case of the Mondays, I've recently had more cases of the Tuesdays and Thursdays. For whatever reasons, those days are worse than Mondays, Wednesdays, or Fridays. We're leaving weekends out of this. So in the end, I'm chalking it up to just another Tuesday. Unless it continues into tomorrow, in which case we're going to have some issues...

"After the Storm" is the last track on Mumford & Sons' album "Sigh No More". It's also the closing song of tonight's season premiere episode of Stargate Universe, of which I'm a big fan. It's a great way to end the album, and a great way to end this episode. I've managed to persuade several of my friends into watching (and liking!) Stargate Universe, but there's a few holdouts I'm still working on. I wish the music alone would convince them, as we've now had Flogging Molly and Mumford & Sons used as soundtracks, and these holdouts like these artists. Time will tell I guess...

Is It Safe to Land?

2010-09-27T23:50:00.000-07:00

Back to the grind today. It's amazing how short vacations can just relax us and give us a fresh start.

That said, it was a bit of rough Monday. I picked up a slight cold in Vancouver, so I spent the morning fighting that a little. The first cup of coffee tasted pretty bad, but the second was a lot better. It was also extremely hot today, which felt even more amplified from being in cool, wet weather all weekend.

While I was in Vancouver, we had a couple of shoots in the office. One shoot had no problems, and the other had problems with the mic. So I looked at it today when they brought the equipment back, and everything was working fine for me. I did notice that the camera mount was on the mic transceiver instead of the receiver. Somehow I missed that in my pre-checkout inspection. Ugh. I know that I told them on the phone when they called me to check which beltpack they were using, but I guess that got lost in the shuffle somehow. I take responsibility for it, though, as I really should have caught that, and should have pointed out the mic workings to them when I gave them the camera. Live and learn, eh?

The more I contemplate my house boat in Coal Harbor, the more I want it, and the sooner I want it to happen. But, I can't rush things. Everything has a time, and when it's meant to be, I'll know. I have to work on writing first. Not a lot of writing jobs up in Vancouver. I'm comforted in knowing that I know where I want to go next, whenever that is.

I really like the band Travis. I didn't even realize until a few months ago that they come from Scotland. From them comes "Follow the Light", although it's a few years old. But that's the beauty of music. Unless it's pop and overplayed on the radio, it doesn't exactly go bad. Even with the overplayed stuff, after a while it's good to listen to again.

I want to dance in the moonlight until I fall. But not in this heat.

Home Sweet Non-Home

2010-09-27T00:58:00.000-07:00

I'm back in my apartment in Burbank. The flight back was uneventful, although it was 35 minutes early, which is a bit unusual for a 3 hour flight. Apparently the captain lives in LA and keeps trying to beat his own record. I'm not complaining. Luggage took a while, as did the shuttle to the distant parking lot. When we got there, we discovered my friend had left her lights on, and the car battery was dead. So we waited a bit for AAA to get there, get jumpstarted, and head for home.

I call this home, but I know better. This isn't home, this is just where I live. I'm not unhappy here, but I'm ready to live in Vancouver. I think I have some time before that happens, as I need to do some career things first, and pave the way for Vancouver. Current dream though is to live on a houseboat in Coal Harbor (which is in Vancouver). Ah, dreams.

Speaking of dreams, I had a couple of celebrity ones last night. Not surprising, as I had a LOT to drink. Did I mention I've discovered vodka/tonics? They're good! What I dislike is that my head seems to realize I'm dreaming at that crucial moment where something is going to happen in my dream, and I wake up. Aggravating.

Today's song is Vertical Horizon's "Save Me From Myself". I know that in many aspects of life, I am my own worst enemy, and coming down from the Smallville weekend high, full of heroes and saves, this song is a message to myself to be my own best friend rather than my own worst enemy.

I can do it. I can do anything.

Smallville #200

2010-09-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

I am incredibly blessed to have been able to attend Smallville's 200th episode party tonight (last night?). I've been a fan from the beginning, although I lapsed a bit during the "freak of the week" period, and caught up via DVD after the fact. But for the last 3 years I've been following the show with each aired episode. I've met and befriended so many of the LA crew, and it's amazing. Last night I had a brief conversation with one of the executive producers, which is incredible to me. Probably more incredible than meeting the cast a couple of years ago at Comic-Con.

So I got incredibly drunk at the party, but it's okay, because so did everyone else. I also might have a new celebrity crush, but I can't say who she is as this time. Feel free to ask me about it though. I just won't state it publicly.

We went to Granville Island today. Lotta good stuff there, as always. The hammock store and the locally grown raspberries were my highlights, though the juggler guy was pretty good too.

I got to walk back to my friend's apartment at 4:30am in the rain. That's an awesome experience. I love rain, and I love Vancouver.

Today's song is "Indigo", by Fielding. One of these days I'll do a song that has a connection to the day, but that isn't today. Honestly I'm impressed I'm able to put sentences together, what with the amount of alcohol I've consumed and that is still in my system...

With Sirens Wailing and Lights Flashing

2010-09-25T02:59:00.000-07:00

Today has been full of Smallville. I've been incredibly lucky, and am honored to have been able to be included with a group of people associated with Smallville and take a tour of their sets/studio here in Vancouver. It's surreal all that I've seen today, including watching a small bit of filming on location.

Tonight I was able to join this same group in watching the season premiere live on the Space channel, and then spend the rest of the night drinking with these amazing people. At one point David Blue (from Stargate Universe and Ugly Betty and other things) was hanging with some of the Smallville peeps in the bar, but I stupidly didn't say hi to him. He even called me out on it on Twitter, ha.

Walking back to my friend's apartment where I'm staying, I hear the sirens and see the lights of a cop car, and then see a group of about three guys running. I pass the alley from which they came, where another cop car is, and overhear "Three random guys just jumped me and started beating me up.", while a girl cried. I should mention this alley was half a block away from where the guy was passed out on the corner the other night. I know where in Vancouver I don't need to go late at night. What treasures shall tomorrow bring?

I first heard today's song on Showtime's "The Big C". "Don't Hold Me Back" by Alex Cornish comes off his album "Call Back". I'm not sure how I feel about Alex or the album yet, but I do like this song. It is slightly nasal though. Still, it's today's song.

Where I Belong

2010-09-23T23:15:00.000-07:00

Today I realized that I belong in Vancouver. I feel so comfortable here, so at home, and at peace. I walked around the city again, enjoying the sites, sights, and sounds. I spent a lot of time along the water, listening to the gulls, watching the boats and ships move slowly across the water, and following the seaplanes as they landed and took off from the harbor. I also came up with another script idea.

I had dinner at Delilah's with a friend tonight. Dinner was good, talk was great. It wasn't quite what had been described to me, as I guess in the past Delilah's offered a one-price 5 course meal, where you chose between several options for each course. It was good food, however, even if I had to request the halibut left off the only non-meat, non-chicken entree dish. The only fish I know I like is salmon, and while they had a salmon dish, it was wrapped in prosciutto, which wouldn't have worked for me. I've never had halibut, the other fish dish, so I don't know if I like it or not, but tonight was not the time to try it. The pesto penne with tomato and olive salsa was delicious though. So was the blackberry martini. Delilah's will be featured in "Delilah's Conviction", a reality show airing on CityTV in Canada and Discovery in the US this fall.

Tomorrow, Vancouver Film Studios! I hope I geek out silently and only to myself...

Today's song is "You Got Growing Up to Do". It comes from Joshua Radin's album "Simple Times" and is sung by Joshua and Patty Griffin. Check it if you don't know it.

Vancouver, Revisited

2010-09-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

A year ago, if you had told me I'd be going to Vancouver in 2010, I would have easily believed you. If, at that same time, you told me I'd be going to Vancouver TWICE in 2010, I would have laughed at you, and thought of it as wishful thinking. It wasn't until July that talk about Vancouver in September was brought up, but when there was even the possibility of it, I was in.

See, in April, I came up because a couple of friends were participating in a curling event, and it was a great excuse to visit my friend who lives here, and finally see this great city in the north that I'd heard so much about. I loved my time here, and told myself that I'd come back the next chance I got.

Little did I know how soon that chance would be. My aforementioned friends both work in the entertainment industry, and both shows they work on are filmed here in Vancouver. One of the shows is hitting it's 200th episode, and as such is throwing a party that my friends were going to. I saw an opportunity to come back to the city, and I took it. I'm now attending this party, which is an added and awesome bonus to the trip, as is set visits! I'm rather excited.

I don't care about Hollywood in LA. In Vancouver, however, I get giddy. A lot of sci-fi is filmed here, and I love sci-fi. So yes, I geek out a bit, and I'm okay with that.

The area near my friend's apartment is very, very different late at night than it is during the day. Walking from the SkyTrain station, suitcase in tow, I passed a guy on a corner on his back, looking to be passed out. People were around him and debating what to do. I kept walking, thinking I should come back for a slice of pizza, as he was on the ground in front of a pizza joint. So, I greeted my friend, dropped off to bed, and went and got a slice of pizza. The guy was gone, but I'm pretty sure he was the rather belligerently drunk man I passed who wanted to start something with me for no reason other than he was drunk.

Lastly, one of the Smallville cast was on my plane. I saw Justin Hartley and a woman (who I presumed to be his wife) at the incredibly short LAX security line (walk up, have ID/boarding pass verified, walk to scanner type of short...), and then got a closer look when I passed them a few minutes later and overheard him say the same gate number as mine. My last trip to Vancouver I was on a plane with a guest star on the show, and then when I went to Scotland I was in the terminal with the showrunner. That leaves my May trip to Vegas as the only trip in the last four that didn't have someone from Smallville associated with it. Strange.

The song challenge is over, but I think I'm still going to have a song of the day. Some days it will just be me stating the song, and others I'll feature it a bit more prominently. Today's song is "Burning in the Skies" by Linkin Park. Off their latest album, "A Thousand Suns", it was the song playing on my new iPod nano when I had to turn it off for landing at YVR (Vancouver airport).

NanoNano.

Song Challenge Day 30: My Favorite Song At This Time Last Year

2010-09-21T19:42:00.000-07:00

This is it. This is the last day of the song challenge. Guess what! It's another favorite, and you know how much I love those!

My favorite song this time last year... Hmmm. The only song I have from this time last year that is still rated at 5 stars in iTunes is a song from hit British TV show, Skins. "This Is My City" comes to us from Timothy Victor, and replaced Adele's "Hometown Glory" on the DVD version of series/season 2 episode 9, "Cassie". I really like this song, and I listened to it a lot after hearing it in the episode. Curious about it? See the YouTube version, and then also Timothy Victor's MySpace Profile.

What do you think? Worthy of favorite status? Not that it matters, of course...

Song Challenge Day 29: A Song From My Childhood

2010-09-20T23:55:00.000-07:00

When I was in 3rd grade, my teacher went on maternity leave. In her place came Mrs. Bream, a young woman, who was married to the brother of then-Atlanta Braves player Sid Bream. I liked Mrs. Bream, and when we found out she also taught piano, she became my piano teacher as well. Now you would think that in a couple of years I would have learned something, but then I never was much for practicing, so I think there was just a lot of repetition going on.

Mrs. Bream also taught voice lessons, and we worked that in with the piano. When I was in 2nd grade, I had pneumonia, with severe dehydration and (we think) a bit of meningitis (I could also be wrong about this, as I was 8, but it was something that was not good). This all happened right around my 8th birthday, which wasn't a pleasant time. I recovered, mostly, but with one negative result. The muscle(s) that move the pharyngeal flap were weakened, resulting in more air flow when I spoke, and being very hard to understand and very, very nasal. I guess I got teased about it a lot, but I don't really remember.

So, back to the song. Mrs. Bream taught me voice, and encouraged me to sing. I really enjoyed Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.", and became so confident in myself that when I was ten, I sang for our church's talent show. I didn't win, but I didn't care. I don't think I even knew of my issue at the time, to be honest. I knew I was in speech therapy because I had issues with "R"s, but I think that was all tied together.

Eventually I had corrective surgery, and I remember waking up thinking my tongue was gone and freaking out a bit. Oh wait, that was because they also clipped my tongue's frenulum when they did the surgery. Two birds with one stone and all...

So yeah, long story short, the song from my childhood is once again, "God Bless the U.S.A.". And while I'd love living in Vancouver, I am proud to be an American.

Song Challenge Day 28: A Song That Makes Me Feel Guilty

2010-09-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I did something I'm not proud of. In an effort to achieve a personal gain, I led on a friend in an effort to pursue a crush. Nothing became of the crush, but I lost the opportunity to take my friendship with said friend to a higher level, which I also kind of wanted to do. I was stupid and couldn't see what was right in front of me, and in the end I lost out on both fronts.

Shortly after this occurred, Hoobastank released "The Reason", and at the time, it correlated to what had transpired. Losing my friend over a crush made me realize how dumb such actions are, and how while that was the first time I'd ever done something like that, it wasn't the first time I'd THOUGHT about doing something like that. So I resolved that I'd never do that again. If I needed a friend to introduce me to one of their friends, I'd tell them that.

I've made up with my friend, though we've gone our separate ways in life, but I still think about what I did every time I hear that song. I feel sad and guilty for my actions, even if they've been forgiven.

Song Challenge Day 27: A Song That I Wish I Could Play

2010-09-19T01:23:00.000-07:00

One of my top bands right now is Muse, mainly because I love the music to their songs. They have a way with their notes, instruments, tones, etc that's just brilliant. Their recent album, "The Resistance" has a song that I very much wish I could play. "Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 3" is, to me, fantastic. I love the piano in it, as well as the strings included. I think I'd really only want to learn the piano part, and who knows, maybe someday I will!

I also love the few lyrics of the song, which start with "Let's start over again", which is a concept I think about way too much.

Yes, it's true, I'm a big fan of starting over...

Song Challenge Day 26: A Song That I Can Play on an Instrument

2010-09-16T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've not gotten far in any sort of musical "career". I played the piano a bit back in elementary school, but I never did figure out reading for the left hand. I tried guitar, and could do some chords, but never got past Christian camp songs, and even those were iffy. I'm sure I could play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" though. I think I could also play the old Christian youth song "Pass It On".

I really need to get cracking learning guitar again. A friend of mine gave me one, but I leave it in the bag and don't take it out much. That needs to be remedied!

Song Challenge Day 25: A Song That Makes Me Laugh

2010-09-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Love it or hate it, you have to admit that YouTube has produced a lot of talent. It's also produced a lot of non-talent. I personally think Bo Burnham has talent. He did get a album released after all. I have to admit that many of his songs can be a bit, well, offensive if you don't have an open mind. I like a few of his songs, but for the purpose of this blog, I'm going to go with "A Love Ballad", which is a love story, sort of...

I'll link this one! After all, he did get his start from YouTube, so it's appropriate that I share the YouTube link, right? I must say that the album version is better though, because it's live and includes audience laughter.

Here you go...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B4Lrl9pdAA

Song Challenge Day 24: A Song That I Want to Play at My Funeral

2010-09-14T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't know about you, but I have no interest in playing songs at my funeral. I'll let someone else do that, thank you very much! But, to whomever DOES play the songs at my funeral (which I hope is a long, long, LONG time from now), try and add Collective Soul's "Hymn For My Father" to the playlist, will ya?

I'd be so ever grateful to whoever fulfills this, but I won't know if it gets done or not, so I won't really be able to thank you. Also, I'd be dead, so that would also make thinking you at the time to be, well, difficult. Guess you'll just have to trust me in my gratitude!

Song Challenge Day 23: A Song That I Want to Play at My Wedding

2010-09-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, my wedding day. Something I've though about since I was a little gir, err, right. I don't think about my wedding. Sorry. Now, if we're talking reception, we're talking party, and I'm all about that. But, really, I'm a romantic, so yes, there are songs I'd say "well that's nice and sweet".

Across the pond there was a British pop-rock band, named Busted. Well, they busted up, and from the crumbles rose McFly. That's righty, like Marty. Well, McFly has a sweet little diddy that's not about Jack or Diane, but is "All About You". It's a great love song, and often repeats those important words, "it's all about you".

Except, it's not about you, because this blog is about ME! Ha. But without you, dear reader, it serves no purpose. So I guess it really is all about you.

Song Challenge Day 22: A Song That I Listen To When I'm Sad

2010-09-12T22:39:00.000-07:00

Life gets us all down sometimes. When it gets me down, I throw open my iTunes, load my "Mellow Yellow" playlist, and chill out. Many of the songs aren't necessarily "sad" songs, but are just more subdued in tempo and sound. Most of them contain lyrics pertaining to light at the end of the tunnel, of hope for better days.

Also, when I'm not so happy, I prefer to be alone. I don't enjoy moping in sorrow or anything, but I don't like being a downer around others. I also like to think negative thoughts out. If something is bothering me enough to get me down, I do contemplate it for a bit, and being around others prevents me from doing this.

So today's song comes from a band that had one album, and a band that few people liked (at least from my circle). "Hideaway" comes off the Student Rick album "Soundtrack for a Generation". Student Rick was a band from South Bend, Indiana that formed when I was living just across the border in Michigan. They made one album, and then disbanded. Interestingly, three of the four Student Rick band members are now in Los Angeles, and have a new band, Hello Vegas. I've yet to go to one of their many shows here in town, but in all fairness, they've yet to release an album. Also, I don't like their new stuff as much as I liked Student Rick.

Honorable mention to Joe Purdy's "Wash Away".

Song Challenge Day 21: A Song That I Listen To When I'm Happy

2010-09-12T00:56:00.000-07:00

I think I've touched on Collective Soul already in this blog, and my taste for them. So, it's no surprise to me that my song for today's challenge also comes from Collective Soul. This song comes from the album "Afterwords", their seventh album. "Never Here Alone" is an upbeat song about, well, never being alone, and about taking negative thoughts and shoving them aside and not letting them get us down.

Gotta love the happy times!

Runner up goes to "Folding Chair" by Regina Spektor, which is full of awesomely random lyrics and even seal-like sounds, although I think they're supposed to be dolphin sounds. Classic.

Song Challenge Day 20: A Song That I Listen To When I'm Angry

2010-09-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

We all get angry sometimes. When I get angry, I do enjoy listening to music. Now I definitely don't have a lot of angry music, but I have an album or two that fits the bill. One such album, Aiden's "Knives", has a song that I enjoy in several moods, one of which is definitely when I'm angry. "Scavengers of the Damned" is a great angry song, at least for me. It's chorus goes something like this:

"Oh it's up to me

to make you f**king bleed

We are the scavengers

scavengers of the damned"

Angry times call for angry songs!

Song Challenge Day 19: A Song From My Favorite Album

2010-09-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

As stated before, I don't have ultimate favorites. Favorite recent album though would be Mumford & Sons' "Sigh No More". I know I mentioned this album before, and a song from it ("I Gave You All", in case you've forgotten), so I'll go with a different song off it. "Awake My Soul" is another fantastic track on this fantastic album, and if you still haven't checked it out, what are you waiting for?!

Song Challenge Day 18: A Song That I Wish I Heard on the Radio

2010-09-08T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I pointed out that I don't listen to the radio much, so I guess almost every song I like I could say I wish I heard on the radio, but it's not the radio station or DJs fault that I don't listen that much. Being in LA, my radio is usually tuned to KROQ, but in the event they play something from Kings of Leon or such, I also have a preset for Star 98.7. I find these two stations to be playing more and more of the same songs, with only a bit more pop on Star, although it seems like rock and pop are merging into one another, and I'm not pleased with this.

I honestly don't know what one song I wish I heard on the radio. One of the things I like about radio is not knowing what's coming next. In iTunes, I pretty much just use iTunes DJ, so I can see, and change, what's coming up. Usually I don't modify it, unless there's a specific song I want to hear next, and prefer to just skip songs that I don't want to hear as they play. But with the radio, I don't have that option.

Okay, enough stalling. The song I wish I heard on the radio is Flogging Molly's "The Worst Day Since Yesterday." Love. That. Song. Also I love the band. Come on December 11!

Song Challenge Day 17: A Song That I Often Hear on the Radio

2010-09-07T23:29:00.000-07:00

A few months ago while moving our office from 5 miles away from my house to 1 mile away from my house, I sat on my iPod Touch and cracked the screen. It still worked, until I tried to replace the screen. Oops. Before I broke it though, I used it in my car all the time. It was my music source, no matter how short or long my trip was.

Now, I listen predominantly to the radio for the short trips, and almost daily (I usually only drive two miles total...) I hear Linkin Park's new single, "The Catalyst". Now, I would say I'm a Linkin Park fan, and I like that they're a band that grows as they age, but I'm not sure how I feel about this song. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. Their new album, "A Thousand Suns" comes out a week from today, and I guess we'll have to see what happens then. Looking at reviews, tweets, and the like, it's not looking good...

Song Challenge Day 16: A Song I Used to Love But Now Hate

2010-09-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

Back in the third season of American Idol, a certain err, differently-talented contestant shocked the nation with his, err, inability. I found it amazing in a great-to-torment-your-friends kind of way, so I picked up his early pre-release tracks on iTunes. That's right, I'm talking about William Hung. The song I love to hate most? "Free". I'm rather glad to be free of my strange interest in his music. Oh, but busting out his music in the middle of a meeting was always amazing (to me of course, not to anyone else, haha).

Song Challenge Day 15: A Song That Describes Me

2010-09-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

It wasn't until the late 90s and I had moved into high school that I started listening to music that wasn't Oldies, and wasn't religious. I think the local oldies station at the time changing its format to rock overnight helped with that, as I no longer had the source for the Oldies. My best friend and I were pissed at the time, but I'm sure he's as grateful as I am now for the changeover.

One of the bands I really got into at that time was Collective Soul. I still love their music, but one song of theirs works well as a song that describes me, at least at this stage. "Run", hits home on a few fronts.

"I've never been this bored before / Is this the prize I've waited for"

Growing up, I couldn't wait to be out of school, have a M-F 9-5 job, and live the life of an adult. If I knew then how mundane such a life is, I think I would have changed my plans somehow.

3 years ago I felt this way at my old job. Same situation of just being bored with what I was doing. So I found a new job with new challenges. I ran to something new. Now I feel I want to repeat the cycle.

"Is there a cure among us / from this processed sanity"

No matter what I do, I fear I'm going to feel this same sense of boredom in life. I've had different schedules in the past, but it hasn't alleviated the boredom. I've worked two jobs and not had a day off in months, but it hasn't alleviated the feeling. I suspect having a significant other in my life would help, as even if we were bored, we'd be bored together, and somehow that's okay. I love the time I spend with my close friends, even if we're just sitting and talking, or sitting and not talking. But I also feel that I need to be able to resolve this boredom on my own, without relying on someone else to be the fix.

"Have I got a long way to run"

As for work, I fear the cycle. I think my desire to produce television is for the constant change, the new challenges that would present themselves on a regular basis. But, I have to get into that that aspect. I have to take the steps that turn into a walk, then into a jog, and then into that full run. The distance is daunting, but it's not getting any closer without taking that first step...

Song Challenge Day 14: A Song No One Would Expect Me to Love

2010-09-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

I have to say, I don't think anyone would expect me to love a lot of the songs I do, but I'm pretty sure no one knows I like a few country songs. So I gotta go with "Ten Rounds" by Tracy Byrd. Why do I love it? I don't know, I just do! Maybe because it's a story of being drunk, and we all love those!

What I DON'T love is tequila, so that makes this song even MORE unexpected...

Song Challenge Day 13: A Song That Is a Guilty Pleasure

2010-09-02T23:02:00.000-07:00

Looking ahead at the list of days/songs, I'm growing tired of this challenge. BUT, I will persevere.

A guilty pleasure. Alright, well, I have no idea why I like this song, as I can't say I'm a huge Scissor Sisters fan, but "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" fits the bill of guilty pleasure. I think I like the fact that's very much a song that's meant for dancing in the clubs and whatnot, and yet, it's about not wanting to dance. I also really like the laser beam sounds in the chorus.

So there you have it. For the record, I rarely feel like dancing, but I do enjoy swinging my head to the beat.

Song Challenge Day 12: A Song From a Band I Hate

2010-09-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

9/2/10 - 11:03PM: It's the day after I posted this, but I have to amend it.

~~N'Sync - Bye Bye Bye.~~

U2: You name it, I hate it, but let's go with "Beautiful Day". It's not the music I hate, but rather Bono, because he's a giant douche bag, and according to South Park, the biggest shit ever.

Hatred.

Song Challenge Day 11: A Song From My Favorite Band

2010-08-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Again with the favorite this or that. It's kind of irritating to think that I'm supposed to be limited to one. So I'll simply go with the most recent band whose music I've come to really appreciate. Mumford and Sons has been around for a couple of years, but it seems like they've only recently been blipping on the radars, most recently with "Little Lion Man". It's a great song, but not the song I've chosen for this day. Instead, I'm going with the song that's just before it on their album, "I Gave You All". If you haven't heard it, you need to. Really the whole "Sigh No More" album is fantastic, full of emotion and passionate in its lyrics and its sound.

Song Challenge Day 10: A Song That Makes Me Fall Asleep

2010-08-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Like most of my friends, and many, many other people, I thoroughly enjoyed the Lord of the Rings films. One of the great things about the films was the music, and while the title track to this final film is great, and definitely a sleeper, it's not a song, because it doesn't have lyrics. Fortunately, at the end of the final film, we are treated to a beautiful song by Annie Lennox. "Into the West" is an amazing song, and when I hear it I want to drift off into a blissful, dream-filled sleep and awaken fresh the next day.

Speaking of blissful, dream-filled sleep, would you look at the time...

Song Challenge Day 9: A Song That I Can Dance To

2010-08-29T23:22:00.000-07:00

In college, for part of my PE requirements, I took swing dancing. It worked out schedule-wise, I'd always thought it smart to know some form of ballroom dance, and with the girl to guy ratio heavily in my favor, I went with it. I haven't really done it in 5 years, but there's nothing like Glenn Miller Band to get me back "In the Mood". Great song, great dancing, great times.

Plus, you know, "In the Mood" has another meaning...

Song Challenge Day 8: A Song That I Know All the Words To

2010-08-26T23:39:00.000-07:00

When it comes to songs I know the words to, well, I know a lot of them, but never off the top of my head. People who know me know I can take a song and modify the words to fit the current situation, but usually the song I want usually just pops into my head at that time.

To pick a song that I know all of the words to, I scrolled through my iTunes library (in the process realizing there are SO many songs I know of that aren't in my library...), and found the ones that I'd be able to play "Don't Forget the Lyrics" on, and decided that's how I can determine if I know all the words to the song or not. Problem is, I saw a lot of songs that I knew the choruses to, without really knowing the verses.

Then I saw Flogging Molly's "Worst Day Since Yesterday", and it clicked. Now I realize there aren't a TON of words in the song, but oh well, I know them all, and it's my challenge.

Funny story, at least to me. I was driving to work one morning, I had this song playing, and just as the line "as the four winds blow my wits through the door", I passed a school bus, and written on the side was "Four Winds". I smiled.

Song Challenge Day 7: Song That Reminds Me of a Certain Event

2010-08-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

When I was in 5th grade (at least I THINK it was 5th grade, but it may have been 4th), our choir teacher (again, I THINK it was choir, but maybe it was just music in general) decided we should have a lip-sync competition. Now, I wasn't as popular then as I am today, which I know is hard to believe. I was so un-popular that you would probably have categorized me as a 'loser'. I really only remember my best friend from those years, who lived just up the street from me. Oh, back to the story...

We were told to form teams. Sadly, my best friend was already in another team, and without really having a lot of other friends, or any I guess, I was left to be in a group with other, ahem, 'losers'. We were a sorry bunch of four, and somehow it was decided that I was the 'leader' of the group. So I picked the song we were going to lip sync. I should point out that at this stage in my life, all I really knew were cheesy educational songs, and oldies, as my mom loves oldies and that's pretty much all we listened to in the car. So I decided to do "My Girl", by The Temptations. I think this was around the time, or shortly after, the movie of the same title came out, which while I never saw it, may have had an impact, but who knows, and I digress.

So myself and my three other 'loser' teammates 'performed' (I really like using single quotes in this post, don't I?) our song, and it went as expected. It wasn't just bad, it was horrendous. Four guys, standing on a stage with less movement than four-hundred-year-old trees, lip-syncing about a girl when there was no girl present. In hindsight, we could have done better, but that was then, and this is now, and I'm a way cooler person now, thanks to college (or maybe my senior year of high school, or some combination of the two).

Anyway, it if it wasn't painfully obvious, the song that reminds me of a certain event is "My Girl", by the Temptations. Plus, in the not-so-distant past, I was within spitting distance of one of the Temptations, which is its own event. Double-whammy for this song!

Song Challenge Day 6: Song That Reminds Me of Somewhere

2010-08-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Growing up, one of my favorite summer activities was going to camp. I was ten when I first attended, and went to Mt. Aetna Camp in Maryland. I was in the 'Mohican' cabin, with counselor TJ. Kevan was also in the cabin, but I can't remember if he was teaching TJ how to be a counselor, or if he just stayed in the cabin for lack of other housing, but Kevan was my cousin Becky's boyfriend (and now husband), and while I remember very little about that week at camp, I do remember riding on Kevan's shoulders one night and talking about Becky, and he expressed how much he loved her. Now he's related, ha. I also recall the high-dive that one of my cabin mates did a belly flop off of, and buying balsa wood planes at the camp store. I also remember the theme song of the week, which was Rich Mullens's "Awesome God", and every time I hear that song, I think about Mt. Aetna Camp.

That was the only week that I attended that particular camp, as our family moved the following year, and I started going to a different camp in Michigan, Camp Au Sable, that I attended for the next 5 or so years, sometimes for two or three weeks a summer, and ended up working there for three summers while in college.

Song Challenge Day 5: Song That Reminds Me of Someone

2010-08-23T11:35:00.000-07:00

It's not often that a song reminds me of a person. Often when I hear a song, my mind goes to where I first heard it, or where I'd hear it most often. Sometimes people I know are in those memories, but it's more about a location or setting rather than a person or people.

There are a few songs that remind me of people though. Jet's "Look What You've Done" reminds me of my friend Christina, not for lyrics or song meaning or anything, but because I recall driving along with her and having the song come on either the radio or my iPod, and we both liked the song and realized we had similar music tastes.

Honorable mention goes to anything by Rob Thomas, as it reminds me of my friend Rob, who looked like Rob Thomas, until he passed a way a couple of years ago. I'm guessing he doesn't look like Rob Thomas anymore.

Song Challenge Day 4: Song That Makes Me Sad

2010-08-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

There’s a lot of sad and depressing music out there, for as much as people are happy, they’re also sad, and music is about emotion, right?

My sad song for today is VAST’s “One More Day”. Somber tone, somber lyrics, somber all over.

Song Challenge Day 3: Song That Makes Me Happy

2010-08-21T23:38:00.000-07:00

Today's song is a song that makes me happy. There are a lot of these, as I rather like songs that make me happy. To pick one though, for now, I'm gonna have to go with "Tiny Pants" from the Aquabats. It's crazy silly and made of awesome. It's a happy ballad wherein the singer meets a tiny person who sings in a tiny tiny voice, and it's just amazing. Definitely a happy-maker!

Runner up would have to be "Barbara Manatee" from VeggieTales. It's about a frickin' manatee and speaking French!

Song Challenge Day 2: Least Favorite Song

2010-08-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

As with all favorites, a least favorite can change. Currently though, my least favorite song is “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon. Now I’m not normally one to look down upon songs about fornicating, but in this case, ugh, I can’t stand it. Not that long ago I worked longer hours than I regularly do now, as did another coworker. He was in an office over, and we were separated by a wall. He would listen to music when working late, as would I, and usually neither of us heard the others music. Until “Sex on Fire” would come on, that is, particularly the chorus. A long, loud “Yoooooouuuuuu” would resonate through the entire office space, ignoring walls, doors, and the like. I’d hear that and my brain would scream.

That and usually when your ‘sex’ is ‘on fire’, it’s probably a sign of an STD…

Song Challenge Day 1: Favorite Song

2010-08-19T00:19:00.000-07:00

So I'm following my friend Sarah and doing the 30 Day Song Challenge. Today, being day 1, is about my favorite song, which I honestly don't have. I have a lot of songs I really, really love. Usually I like either a song's lyrics, or for its sound, but not really both. However, I've always loved "Hands" by Jewel. Coincidentally it's my most-played song in iTunes.
I'm a sucker for female singer-songwriters. Give me a girl with a great voice and something to say, and I'll probably swoon, provided they also play an instrument. I think that's why while I'm not really a fan of Lady Gaga, I can't help but respect her.
"Hands", while mellow and somber-sounding, always lifts me up when I'm down, as it reminds me that nothing is ever that bad, that there's always something positive to look to. Fairly often I wonder if my life is where or what I'd like it to be, and get trapped in that "what if" train of thought. A quick listen to Hands reminds me that my life is mine, that I'm in control of it, and that I can still steer it in the direction I want to.
Growing up conservative Christian, although not really considering myself too religious anymore, "Hands" also reminds me that while my life is my own, it is a gift, and I should use it for good. For after all, 'in the end only kindness matters'.

Scotland!

2010-08-01T20:26:00.000-07:00

So, Scotland! I keep starting and re-writing this because I don't know how to tell about Scotland in a non-boring way. Remember those family and friend vacation slide shows you may or may not have had to sit through when you were younger? Yeah, I don't want to create one of those! Plus I didn't take a lot of photos, as everyone else had cameras and mine is a piece of junk at this point, so whatever photos I do post are taken from somewhere else.

Days 1&2 (Monday/Tuesday): I flew via Virgin from LAX to Heathrow. Bit of a delay due to a now-forgotten ash cloud, but I made it! Then flew bmi (I'd never heard of them either) from Heathrow to Edinburgh. Stayed at a nice little hotel called the Piries on the west side of the city. Attempted to meet up with my brother and his fiance and others for dinner, but miscommunication resulted in me walking 2 miles to one place and not seeing them, taxi'ing to another and not seeing them, learning that I can't figure out how to dial a UK number via a UK payphone, and calling it a night and walking back to the hotel. I did enjoy walking the city though, especially since it started raining, and I do love me some rain!

Day 3 (Wednesday: I wake to the wonderful buzzing of the fire alarm. By the time I realize what the buzzing is, get dressed, and go downstairs, whatever fire existed in the kitchen area has been extinguished, and the hotel is safe once again. I shower, eat, and head back to the airport via bus to meet the parents. Their plane is on time, but sadly their luggage was not on board. After making delivery arrangements for the next morning, we get the rental car, a nice Mercedes C180 sedan (although NOT the 5 door wagon I ordered due to 6 pieces of luggage), and head up to Glencoe.

Edinburgh to Glencoe:

View Larger Map

We arrive at Clachaig Inn in Glencoe, our home for the next 4 nights! We were some of the first to arrive, and my brother and his fiance have run an errand but arrive soon after. We greet and then check into our rooms. Another small room that doesn't bother me, but my parents' room is the same size, which is small for two people. See, they're big fans of double beds it seems. Not queens, not kings, but doubles. Good for one, bad for two or more!

We chill for the evening, have some dinner (including vegetarian haggis!) and then call it a night.

Clachaig Inn:

Vegetarian Haggis (sorry it's blurry, it was taken with a cheap camera phone. The round things are cracker-type things):

Day 4 (Thursday): Although assured my parents luggage would arrive by 9am, it didn't. We called, and they said 6pm, so we went off on adventures. Almost everyone who would be attending the wedding was now at the hotel, so we had about 20 some people who would making today's day trip to... Loch Ness! Alas, we didn't see Nessie, but we did see some nice castle ruins. I give you... Uruquhart Castle, near Drumnadrochit and Inverness, on the shore of Loch Ness:

After Urquhart, we had lunch at some random place along the road. I think it was another bed and breakfast type place, but it had a nice dining room that we took over. Then it was on to Glenfinnan monument, where Bonnie Prince Charlie raised his standard at the beginning of the Jacobite Rising. You can google the monument, because it's not that exciting. We were MUCH more excited about this:

See, this is the Glenfinnan Viaduct, which is a part of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, Prisoner of Azkaban, and Goblet of Fire! Also, proof that I WAS there...

On the way back, we stopped at a seafood restaurant for dinner. It's a good thing Scotland has a lot of salmon on their menus, or else I would have gone rather hungry!

I think that was pretty much it for that day. More hanging out at the inn in the evening I guess. We did a bit of that... Oh, right, we got back after 6pm, and guess what... no luggage. Yup, parents are still in the same clothes they wore on the plane. Sad day. I call, and we're told by 9am the next day (Friday). We would be the first stop of the day.

Day 5 (Friday): We have breakfast and wait for luggage which doesn't come. My parents are going to sit back and wait while the rest of us gallivant to another castle and to the nearest 'big' town. They change their mind at the last minute and join us after all, much to our joy. We head out to our first stop, Dunstaffnage Castle! It's a nice castle, much more put together than Urquhart was, and my ancestors built a tower there, so there's that.

Dunstaffnage Castle:

After this, we head to Oban! What's intriguing about Oban is that it was basically built around a Scotch distillery (which we toured, but not until Saturday...). We were told of a restaurant that had 'the best' mac and cheese around. So we went there, and yes, it was REALLY REALLY good mac and cheese. Then people split up. Girls went shopping. Parents went off on their own adventures. Guys went climbing a hill to see McCaig's Tower, which is an unfinished monument designed and commissioned by John Stuart McCaig, a wealthy, philanthropic banker who died before it could be finished. In it's finished form, it was to be based on the Colosseum, but only the outer walls were finished by the time he died. So now it's just a circle with a park in the center. But it's a very nice circle and park. See?

Photo by Ian Britton

View from up top:

So we hiked up there, checked it out, and it started raining. So we high-tailed it to a pub, where I had a pint of John Smith's, which I'd always been told was good, good beer, and it was good. Good, good beer.

We headed back to the hotel, and discovered that my parents luggage STILL had not arrived. My parents were troopers up until this point, when my mom was about to lose it, as the dress she would be wearing for the wedding which was the next day was in her luggage. A few minutes later I see a courier truck arrive, and I rush down, meet the guy who is on his cell phone talking to someone about giving them a full refund, grab the suitcases and rush them to my parents, who are now overjoyed and they start unpacking things.

While they unpack, a small group of us, myself and my brother included, decided to climb the large hill or small mountain, as I don't know which it is, that's across from the inn. There was a bit of a rock path, so it wasn't like mountain climbing, but it was high up.

We decided to climb up to that waterfall in the center-ish of the image:

Here's me climbing:

And here we are near the waterfall that's I think off to the right of us:

After this we headed back down. We didn't make it back in time for dinner at our hotel, but the hotel about 10 minutes away was still open, for only a few more minutes. About ten of us book it over there, although my brother stays behind to hang out with his friends since it is the night before his wedding and all. We have dinner, and return to the hotel. I'm greeted with my brother's friends asking me where I've been, as they apparently did some bachelor party type things while I was gone. I'm not going into details, but let's just say I'm glad I was at dinner because there are some things a brother should never have to see, and what occurred that night is one of them!

Day 6 (Saturday, WEDDING DAY!):

The wedding was an evening wedding, and was a very, very simple wedding, pretty much requiring no setup. More on this later...

While the wife-to-be was busy getting her hair did and dolled up and whatnot, the rest of the young crowd went back to Oban to check out the Scotch distillery we weren't able to see the day before. It was a long tour, but very informative and interesting. Sadly, it didn't improve the taste of Scotch...

We headed back, got dressed, and went off to the wedding site, which was a nice little inn just a few miles away from where we were staying and on the shore of Loch Linnhe. The wedding it self took place on a grassy pier located at the hotel, and then afterwards we had dinner and an open bar in the hotel's restaurant/bar/lounge. Great wedding, very simple, very small, and awesome. Despite being along the shore of a large lake, and Scotland often having wet weather, nature was kind to us and it didn't rain until moments after we entered the restaurant for dinner.

Here are the bride and groom and wedding attendants, with the pier in the background:

As the brother of the groom, I took it upon myself to get my brother his first drink as a married man. Since neither of us are Scotch drinkers, we went with... Guinness!

After a fine evening with finer food, drink, and friends, we called it a night and headed back to our hotel.

Day 7 (Sunday):

After breakfast, we packed up the car (managing to fit all luggage into the trunk and half of the back seat), and went to see my brother and now sister-in-law once more before heading back to Edinburgh for the rest of the week. We briefly said goodbye, as we wouldn't be seeing them again until back in the states (I still haven't seen them since that day), and drove back to Edinburgh, enjoying the countryside once more.

We had chosen to stay in a chain hotel outside of the city, as we wanted to be able to easily take day trips, and when we had been booking hotels, I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy driving on the other side in the road, especially in a city! I'm glad we didn't stay in the city, as parking would have been expensive, and there are some very, very narrow streets in Edinburgh. Plus our hotel was within short walking distance of a train station that went into downtown Edinburgh.

We checked in, and then headed into the nearby town for dinner. We found a nice Chinese restaurant and relaxed for a bit, and then headed back to the hotel and called it a night.

Day 8 (Monday):

We made our first foray into Edinburgh, and did so by train. We did many touristy things, including taking the city tour busses all over the city, and hopped off to go see Edinburgh Castle. It's amazing what they built so long ago, and that those structures are still standing! We also got to see the Honours of Scotland, which are pretty amazing. At one point we stopped for coffee at The Deacon's House Cafe, where the story of William "Deacon" Brody is depicted along the walls. Deacon Brody, who is the inspiration for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, was a cabinet maker who would make copies of his customers' keys and later rob their houses using these copied keys. He did this for 20 years before getting caught.

Day 9 (Tuesday):

On Tuesday my mom wasn't feeling very well, so after getting her some get-well items, my dad and I headed back into Edinburgh on our own (driving this time!) and went to "Our Dynamic Earth", which is an incredible 'journey' through the Earth's past, present, and future. It's quite an exhibit that is really hard to describe, but involved shows and displays and just some really neat things. Dad and I went back towards the hotel and grabbed dinner at Pizza Hut, another short walk away.

Day 10 (Wednesday):

Mom was feeling better, and we decided to go bird seeing. My dad has been a birder for many, many years, and so he wanted to go to some cliffs not too far away and see several species of birds. St. Abb's Head is a beautiful coastline nature preserve that has shoreline walking paths along the cliffs which the birds nest. Pretty incredible:

My dad also wanted to see Hadrian's Wall, which was built in the 2nd century AD by Roman emperor Hadrian across what is now northern England, as a measure to keep the "barbarians" of the north out.

Someone online mistakenly said that Hadrian's Wall ran through Newcastle, so we headed south and checked out Newcastle, but found no wall. We did find the tourist office, and discovered the wall was a good 40 miles west. So we drove a while, and found one site that had just closed, but pointed us towards another closed, but accessible after closing, site. It was a short hike from the parking lot to the ruins, but well worth it!

Again, incredible that these ruins still exist. Makes me wonder what OUR buildings will consist of in two thousand years...

Hadrian's Wall (and sheep!):

Day 9 (Thursday):

Thursday was another day trip day. We started out at Rosslyn Chapel, which you may recall from the book and movie of "The DaVinci Code". Our next location to visit was going to be Traquair House, which is an old mansion full of history. However, we didn't actually go there, as when we stopped in Peebles for lunch, my mom wanted to spend the rest of the afternoon there checking out the small shops in this small town. Meanwhile, my dad really enjoyed walking along the Tweed river scoping out birds. Like so much of Scotland, Peebles was beautiful, and my parents decided they could retire there. Not that they would, just that they could.

After Peebles, we headed back towards our hotel, taking the scenic route and grabbing dinner at an Indian restaurant in a tiny town I can't remember of and can't find on a map, and then called it a night.

Day 10 (Friday):

Friday we lazily went back into Edinburgh and did the souvenir thing. We also went to Jenners, which used to be the second oldest independent department store in the UK, although it's now owned by House of Fraser. While Mom perused their thread collection, Dad and I looked at luggage. I now want really light luggage since I know it exists and would make packing so much easier when you don't lose 10-12lbs on the suitcase alone. We also picked up a digital handheld luggage scale, which made packing that night much, much easier. After Edinburgh, we had dinner back at the hotel, and then packed for our journeys home the next day.

Day 11 (Saturday):

We got the airport a few hours before my parents' flight, which was two hours before mine. We turned in the rental car and went to check in. My parents had no problem, but I had to wait two hours before checking in, which was also when my parents' flight would be leaving. So, I bid them farewell in the departures check-in area. Eventually I checked in, went through security, flew to Heathrow, went through security again, flew to LAX, and went home.

It was an awesome trip, and I'd definitely like to go back to Scotland in the not-too-distant future. I'm going to have to get a better camera by then so I actually take pictures next time!

Damn My Non-Confrontationalist Ways

2010-05-25T19:34:00.000-07:00

I will post about my Scotland trip soon, I promise. I need my body to get used to being back in the pacific time zone though, as it seems to want to shut down around 5pm still, and before then I'm at work, so that doesn't really facilitate writing about the trip. But I need to do it soon before I start losing details!

Meanwhile, as I was power-napping after work today, I awoke to a very loud humming vibration coming from somewhere outside my immediate apartment. I've deduced that it is coming from the upstairs neighbor, and I'm assuming that they've obtained a portable air conditioner, and have no idea how headache-inducing such a machine can be on poor individuals under it. Tomorrow I'll call the management company and have them look into it. I've never met my neighbors and have no interest in greeting them with a complaint. That's what the building manager is for, right? All I can hope is that this vibration-causing machine doesn't continue on into sleep-time, or else I will be quite irritated.

But in good news, I'm getting my MacBook Pro replaced by Apple due to having the logic board replaced twice already and it needing a third replacement. Brand spanking new MacBook Pro should be on its way to me tomorrow and in theory I should have it on Thursday, but we'll see! If so, it'd be just in time for my weekend in Vegas!

A Place For Me

2010-04-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

There is a place for me
Far, far away
On a distant moon,
Or on a silver screen.
With the perfect life,
Where you never die.
You just press rewind.
Jump Little Children - B-13

--

Through various circumstances, I decided a few weeks ago to come up to Vancouver for a short trip. For years I'd had a desire to visit the city, even though I had no idea what to expect. I'd never even really been to the Pacific Northwest, with Crescent City, CA being the closest thing to it I'd traversed.

In the last few days, I've seen basically all of Vancouver. Wednesday and Thursday included a lot of walking around the city and seeing pretty much all of it. Friday my friend took the day off of work, so we took the SkyTrain out to Burnaby to see the studios where Stargate Universe is filmed, and the train went right over Vancouver Film Studios, home to Smallville, Eureka, Caprica, etc. So that was exciting to see. Somewhere on a camera that I didn't bring the cable for are pictures, though most of the photos are of Chad the Gnome, a small gift from an LA friend that's my travel buddy. Today we hit up Vancouver Island, taking a shuttle from the mainland over, then a bus down to Victoria, then a lot of walking around Old Town Victoria, and seeing underwater sea creatures at an underwater aquarium, and then headed back. Tomorrow brings a wine brunch event, and then soon after will head out to the airport and head back home.

I love this city. I really do. I could live here. I don't know if living here would make me happier with life, but I'd welcome the experience. I even found a job opening for a Mac tech, as well as a new Apple store opening up and hiring. But will I move here? Maybe some day, but not yet.

It's not that I don't want to live here, because I do, but there's a lot of complications to deal with. Aside from being an American citizen trying to live and work in Canada, the cost of living here seems to be on par or higher than Los Angeles. Additionally, the majority of my friends are down in LA or the greater SoCal area, and my family is still in the southeast. Not exactly closer to them, which is an eventual goal. Plus most cell phone long distance plans don't include Canada, so I'd either to have to call them more often, or it'd cost them more, and I can forget about my favorite communication method: texting.

No, Vancouver for now shall be a great vacation destination for me. Maybe I'll try and come up at least once a year. I say this, knowing that I don't even make it home once a year, so we'll see how that goes. I just need to land that job that pays me the crazy big bucks and maybe has a travel budget.

Speaking of jobs, no news on the job front. Things continue to dwindle, and this coming Friday is going to be a downer day at the office. Not sure what the next two weeks bring, let alone what comes after Scotland. When I put in for the time off, I was really concerned about how things would go at work while I Scotland. I expected us to be in the middle of production on a show or two, but unless something amazing happens, nothing will be going on. It makes me wonder what will be going on during those two weeks, and what I'll be looking forward to when I get back. Funemployment here I come?

The Good News Is...

2010-03-22T23:12:00.000-07:00

So, the good news is, umm, well the good news is one of my projects is making some headway. I actually have someone with connections interested in a television show idea, and he has some ideas for it of his own, which is fantastic to me. If someone says to me "I like what you've got, here's how we make it better," I'm all for that, because I know I'm in no way going to nail it on my own (at least not at this time). So yeah, hooray for that!

A new friend has hooked me up with SGU season 1 DVDs, which is awesome. I haven't watched them yet, but have a couple of weeks before season 1.5 starts up, so I'll be doing that in my downtime I believe.

I'm working on a webcomic that involves squirrels, because we all know how much I love squirrels (and if you don't know, I love them a lot). I apparently don't love them enough to draw cartoon versions of them though, at least not yet. It's a work in progress.

I should know my work fate by Wednesday. That's when the network will either order more episodes of the show we did a pilot for, or pass on it, and leave us show-less. Crossing fingers for a pickup, as I've decided I'm going to talk to the show-runner and ask about trying my hand at producing a segment or pitching stories or something along the producing realm. It's a clip show, and not really want I want to do, but it's also producing, and well, I'm going to have to re-verify at Comic-Con next year, so I need a more recent producing credit to my IMDb profile. Plus, I need a new credit to change my IMDb profile to "J. Chris Tucker" instead of "Jonathan Tucker (II)".

Oh hey! Tomorrow is free pasty day at Starbucks, and free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. I'll definitely get a free pastry, but we'll have to see about the cone...

--

And then... he slept.

Backwards and Forwards

2010-03-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

What a difference a week can make. A week ago I was working on a spec script (well, coming up with an idea for one at least) so that I could pursue a writing/producing career. It wasn't going well, and it took a conversation with a friend to finally convince me that writing is not what I want to do, even though I've known this forever. Ideal job is producing a late-night talk show. So that is what I will work for, although I don't know how long it will take. I'm impatient, so I'd love for it to be sooner rather than later, but things can't be rushed I guess.

Which means, come May and Scotland, I'm not changing my life around like I'd been planning. I'm not quitting my job and I'm not moving out of my apartment. Simply, I'm staying put until such a time that there is better timing to leave (like having another job lined up).

That isn't to say it couldn't change by May. At work, we delivered the cut of a pilot we're working on, and will be waiting until the middle of next week to find out if the network wants to pick it up or not. If they do, great, there's a few more months of work. If not, well, all we have are projects in development, and maybe I'll still get laid off by/before May. If that happens, then I'll come back from Scotland, offload everything I own, and move to Vancouver. Fingers crossed?

Indecision, BE GONE!

2010-03-03T22:13:00.000-08:00

Indecision surrounds me.

In the next two months, I have to decide what's going to happen next for me. Am I going to give my job, my apartment, my financial security, simply because I find myself at a crossroads? Or will I instead keep both my job and my apartment, and just put off the inevitable change?

At the moment, I'm leaning towards the latter. However, a lot is going to rest on what happens at work in the next couple of weeks. There's a lot in the air that should be settled by then, and will affect the stability of my current job. So my indecision on that front shall continue, and that's okay!

I'm going to write a TV spec script or two, in an effort to change my future path more towards what I actually want to do professionally. Currently I'm planning on a sitcom, but there's a lot of indecision there as well. Not sure which sitcom to spec, and which story idea to go with. Also stuck between writing a sitcom or a drama, or maybe a dramedy. In all honesty, I'm not really enthusiastic about writing a spec at all, but it seems to be necessary if I want to produce anything scripted.

Does deciding to quit being indecisive work?

Knot of this World

2010-02-18T23:18:00.000-08:00

I have a knot in my upper back that will not go away. The last two Mondays I've had a kink in my neck because of it, and the other night I woke up from a particularly strange dream with the knot throbbing. It was a strange dream, involving being in a cave behind Facebook (as if Facebook were a waterfall or mountain face, and hidden behind it was this cave), and a not-so-nice dragon living in the cave. I found the dragon, and I think it ate me, because it's mouth came towards me, and I woke up. I remember thinking in the dream that the dragon was going to devour the world. Hrm, is Facebook really the devil? The night before that I dreamed about playing war games, only it was with water guns, and somehow I was the last man standing on my team, but in the end I was 'killed'. Lotta instances of me dying in my dreams lately. Wonder what that means. I'm going to interpret it as meaning my current life is going to end and a new life will begin, which coincides with my future plans.

Speaking of my future plans, I got my taxes done the other day. Wow. It pays to have someone do your taxes. I'm no longer stressed out about going to Scotland and making some major changes in my life when I get back. I'd been flip-flopping back and forth on my decisions for the future, mostly for financial reasons, but I'm much more at ease about my desires now, and about 90% sure of what I'm going to do.

Hopefully going to be talking to a potential partner this weekend about one of my ideas. A friend who I've discussed the idea with suggested I talk to this person, and there will hopefully be occasion to have a discussion about it. That'd be a nice thing to have pan out.

I don't often really talk about celebrity sightings, but I did see Tahmoh Penikett today (of Battlestar Galactica and Dollhouse). This is important for two reasons–the first being that a friend of mine is deeply infatuated with him and I enjoyed greatly telling her that I saw him, especially since he's usually in Vancouver, and that's where she lives, and the second being because he was filling up his car up at the shady gas station next to our office place. Since this place has a suspected history of identity theft (numerous people in our office were victims of fraudulent credit charges after making purchases there), I shot Tahmoh a message on Facebook informing him that our employees have had issues there, and to keep an eye on his bank account. He shot back a quick "Thanks for that!" and it made me smile, as some celebrities I've encountered don't even say "thank you" when you hold a door open for them. It's nice to know there are still some good people out there. So that was fun.

Know what else is fun? Sleep!

Unemployment

2009-12-04T11:41:00.000-08:00

Unemployment. We all fear it, we all will deal with it, we all will use it. It's there, and it's meant to be used, but used responsibly.

Responsible uses of unemployment:

1) Your job has ended. You weren't fired, you were laid off. You're looking for work, but while out of work, you use unemployment to pay your bills because, well, you need to.

2) You're in-between jobs, or on hiatus from a job (common in the entertainment industry) and look for short-term jobs that fit your time off, but don't take a job that would interfere with returning to your normal job. Fair enough, as you're being respectful to both your current and your potential jobs.

There are more responsible uses, I'm sure, but these are the two I see most often. Now, what about a non-responsible method of using unemployment?

1) You get fired. You claim you were laid off, and the company you worked for doesn't want to get into a fight and so agrees you were 'laid off', even though they simply replaced you with someone who could do the job. You don't look for work, and would rather do what you did at the job you were fired from... nothing.

2) Your job ends, you're laid off, etc, and you're offered a job, but it doesn't pay much more than unemployment would, so why take it when you could get paid the same to do nothing? COME ON. Take the job. You don't have to stick with it forever if you find something else, but don't use unemployment funds that other people need just because you don't want to work for the same cost as not-working.

Maybe it's the work-aholic in me, but in both situations, I'd much rather have a job that gave me something productive to do with my time, and allowed me to meet new people and experience new things, than to sit at home and do nothing, or putter around all day. I guess I just don't understand that mentality of getting paid to do nothing. Sounds boring to me!

28 Years Later...

2009-11-21T17:32:00.000-08:00

Thursday was my 28th birthday. It was good, and I did nothing. Well, I got lunch at Poquito Mas with a coworker, and dinner at Red Robin with a friend. Two of my favorite food places, one of my favorite co-workers, one of my favorite friends. Good times.

Now, I'm 28. Of course I don't feel any different, although 30 feels less distant than it did when I was 27. Maybe because 27 is closer to 25, and 28 is closer to 30? I'm actually looking forward to my 30th birthday, because 11/19/11 is a Saturday, and it's going to be AWESOME. So, mark that date on your calendars, and prepare for an event you'll never forget...

Speaking of Thursday, I was greeted in the morning with yelling coming from my neighbors. I don't really know what they were yelling about, but it had to do with her not liking one of his friends, and him not being a man if he talked to said friend. There was also talk of a lighter, and who wouldn't let who borrow it and whatnot. While the wall doesn't block the sound, it muffles it. Can't win em all I guess!

In upcoming travel news, I've completed my passport application. Going to head down to a certain city hall where I know an employee or two and get it submitted. I should confirm that they can take my photo there...

That's all for now folks! Looking forward to my week off for Thanksgiving, although I'm already filling it up it seems!

Shape Up and Ship Out

2009-11-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

So last night I had another dream about Stargate: Universe. In this one, I was applying for a PA position. They already had a PA, but hired me anyway. During the interview/hiring process, they informed me that I'd need to stay busy as long as I was on the clock, even it it meant continually checking on the cleanliness of the patio area and removing the often-flicked cigarette butts. I had no issues with this, but throughout my first night I found myself sitting on sidewalks gazing at the moonrise, waiting for it to get just a little higher so I could take a photo of this gigantic moon over downtown Vancouver. Supposedly I was supposed to be answering phone calls, and did receive one call from someone wanting the mailing address. A bit later I realized there were going to be no more calls and was about to call my supervisor, when the other PA showed up and told me I was supposed to be in the office (which I didn't even know existed), and then the dream ended. A bit anti-climatic, yes, but it had a message for me.

You see, a couple of days ago a friend and I were discussing commitment. I didn't think I had any issues committing to things, except I never what to commit to and what not to, particularly when it comes to life paths. This dream made me a little annoyed with myself, for in my dream I had achieved a goal: to work on a sci-fi show in Vancouver. Yet I was so half-assed in my job that it wasn't going to last, and I knew it. By not choosing something to commit to, I'm being half-assed in aspiring to achieve my goals. If I'm going to get what I want, I have to put my all into it, and that's what I'm going to be doing now.

Who's with me?

Identity

2009-11-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

For quite a while, I never knew what to go by, name-wise. Growing up, I was always "Chris Tucker", which worked great until I realized I wanted to work in the film/television industry, where there was already an established Chris Tucker. Similarly, there was already a Jonathan Tucker. So I went with "Jonathan C. Tucker", which sounded good, but I'm not really a Jonathan, as I never really went by it. Granted, my current co-workers know me as Jonathan, but it wasn't by choice. So, I've settled on "J. Chris Tucker", and I like it. A lot. I think it works. As such, all of my online identity locations have been updated to reflect it. Except IMDb. I need to do something where I can be credited as "J. Chris Tucker" and make the transformation complete...

This weekend, I finally got around to updating my website. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, etc, have all sort of doomed the personal website. Who needs their own .com now, when you can put all of your content up on various content-specific sites? So, I decided I'd make a portal to all things me. Check it out: http://www.jctucker.net/. I'm rather proud of it, I must say!

Alright, weak entry as this may be, that's all for now!

6 Down, A Half-Dozen To Go

2009-11-05T16:15:00.001-08:00

Six months ago I (finally) moved into my own 1 bedroom apartment. Six months from now, I’ll be moving out. I love living alone (not including my two feline friends), but come May, life is going to change. In May, my lease is up on my apartment. No longer will I need to wait 20 minutes to have hot water in the kitchen, and more importantly, I won’t hear conversations and “Incoming call from an unknown number” through the shared wall of my neighbors. It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t the bedroom, and I didn’t get woken up in the morning by their alarm clock and hour before mine goes off.

Coincidentally in May, my brother is getting married… in Scotland. So I’ll need to be across the pond for at least two weeks, if not longer. I haven’t really figured out how long I want to be there, so why hold on to an apartment I a) don’t want to be in and b) would be leaving vacant for a few weeks to a month? Plus there’s talk of heading to Vancouver upon my return to visit with a friend who has recently moved there. Why not, right?

If I had a drink, I’d raise a toast to “six months”. Guess raising a glass of water will have to do for now!