This Thanksgiving, my mother announced that we would be going to the Golden Corral for our big dinner. What a change in pace! I had been used to reserving space at a church or a gym, and having the traditional meal complete with turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, and sometimes ham (everyone bringing their own dish). But this year was going to be something new.
On hearing the announcement, two things immediately came to mind.
#1) That scene from "A Christmas Story" where they went to the Chinese place for Christmas, and they sang "Fa ra ra ra ra." Would we be the only ones at the Golden Corral while everyone else stayed at home eating their traditional dinners, napping it off, and watching football?
#2) When would the Golden Corral employees go home to their families? I know that some people say: "Don't worry about the employees. Golden Corral is open and even advertises their Thanksgiving dinner. The employees are there on their own free will." But this is faulty reasoning in a lame attempt to make oneself feel better. I know a lady who works at Golden Corral and is unable to attend church because they won't let her take Sundays off. (And you know somebody has to feed all those hungry Protestants who grab brunch after church on their "day of rest.")
But then, I understood my mother's decision. Consider all the pros: no cooking; no washing dishes; no leftovers; eat all you want and what you want; big enough to fit a large party.
There are also the cons: the food is not homemade; no turkey-salad sandwiches over the next week; other strangers will be there with you; could be more expensive.
Then the big day came. We all met at the Golden Corral and Holy Moly! The line went out the door! I couldn't believe it. All visions of "fa ra ra ra ra" vanished. I never knew that people actually did something different than the traditional dinner at home!
It took us fifteen minutes just to get to where you pick up your drinks. We paid for our own dinners, and wouldn't you know it? Golden Corral charged the special Thanksgiving rate. I heard Mister Krabs of Spongebob fame back in the kitchen. "Ka ching! Arghh argk argk argk argk argk!"
There we were--all twenty of us holding our drinks--waiting to be seated. The waitresses started putting together a section in one of those glass rooms. After about five minutes, they told us that someone else grabbed those tables. We were standing there with our drinks for over twenty minutes! (Well, my wife came up with the awesome idea of resting the drink trays on a ledge.) Yet, it was hard to get angry because of concern #2 above.
It was noisy all over the restaurant, but luckily, inside the glass room, it was quiet enough to where we could all have pleasant conversations. There was always someone up getting more food (which I suppose is true in most Thanksgiving dinners).
I started with a soup and salad, while my brother-in-law got a taco bowl. Then I went for my "Thanksgiving" plate. Wouldn't you know it? There was a line for the turkey and fixings! The turkey was okay, but nothing like how my wife cooks it (nice and dry - yum!). The dressing, mashed potato, cranberry sauce, and rolls were good. They always have good rolls. Desserts were okay. I didn't even try the chocolate fountain, though it seemed everyone else did.
We were there for over two hours, and it was all fun. It was good to see family again. There was a lot of laughing and the usual pouting kids and the poopy diaper. What Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without those?
When we left, the line to go in was still going out the door. It was all over for us. We had survived, and it wasn't all that bad. Though, I really wanted to hear somebody sing "Fa ra ra ra ra."
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
The Many Discouragements of Being an Aspiring Writer
Yes, I realize I risk sounding like Luke Skywalker on one of his whinging binges, but I've had a really hard couple of months in the writing world. I started this blog to detail the steps in becoming an "established writer," and no honest account would be complete without a big complaint-filled post. So, here goes nothing...
Life sucks! I am this close to giving up (I'm holding up my thumb and index finger). When you're only an aspiring writer, you're nothing but big in your own head. Nobody wants to publish you. Nobody wants to read your stories. You might as well stick with your day job and be a work zombie till the day you die.
I wish I could say I'm in a position where I could say, "This is how I came out of it and became an established writer," but alas, I'm still in it. So, I'll just pretend I'm an established writer and try to give this advice:
Life sucks! I am this close to giving up (I'm holding up my thumb and index finger). When you're only an aspiring writer, you're nothing but big in your own head. Nobody wants to publish you. Nobody wants to read your stories. You might as well stick with your day job and be a work zombie till the day you die.
- Rejections everywhere: This is one area where I excel. I can see the first readers shaking their head when they see my name. "Oh no, not again. Come on, Melvyn. Is this the best you can give us? Say hello to our form letter rejection." If only I knew where I was failing to connect!
- It takes so long, and no results: I could easily spend an hour writing one of these blog posts. After putting together what I think is a useful article, I check the stats the next day and see: "4 views." That's all? When I ask for comments, going for more reader participation, I might get one or two responses. Whooo!
- The world doesn't need another writer: Look at all the books at our disposal. Name any random topic, and chances are you'll find a book that fits that need. My stuff? Whenever I describe my two finished books, I get something like: "Oh, that sounds like 'Face Off' in space," or "That's 'Touched by an Angel." In other words, my drivel has already been written.
- Life is so busy: First, there's the day job. It eats up 40 hours of my precious time every week. 45 if you count the lunches, and 50 if you also include commuting time. There's also church and family and community. With all these responsibilities, if I did everything I was "supposed to do," I'd get no sleep. And then I'd still have no time to write. Sometimes when I do have free time, I'm exhausted to do anything except relax. NaNoWriMo? Eesh! Not this year!
- Depression loves writers: I don't know why, but depression seeks out writers like tornadoes love trailer parks. Maybe it's all the rejection letters we get. Or perhaps that brain defect that makes us want to write and write and write also makes us depressed. Do you know why they don't hold writers' conferences next to cliffs? Because it would only take one writer, and then you'd have lemmings!
- I don't have enough money to break into the business: The NCWN held their big annual conference this past weekend. I didn't go, because I just can't afford it right now. I've even had to temporarily stop my movie review trips. Today's economy is stressful and makes it much harder to spend money on conferences, books and the like. I know they say you don't really need to pay a dime to get published, but I don't believe it. You pay to enter conferences where you might meet an agent. You can sometimes pay extra to force an agent to sit with you for a 20-minute session. You can pay for classes that might increase your chances of getting published in a particular magazine. You can pay an editor when you self-publish a book that might get your book cleaned up enough to sell millions. In other words, no money = "don't even think about it."
- Other writers are better than me: I was reading one of my fellow aspiring writer's blog, and he was celebrating a relatively big short story sale. He stated that it was after some 20 rejections. At first I thought, "Wow! I'm not up to that many on any of my individual stories. I just have to keep submitting." But then I kept reading. He gave some excerpts from his rejection letters, which were all "warm" rejections like: "We really like your style, but this doesn't fit our magazine. Send us something else." Well, good for him. I've only received one non-form-letter short story rejection, and it was a "cold" one. In other words: my stories plain suck.
- It would be so much easier to give up: I love video games and puzzles and math problems and rainbows and reading books and watching movies and TV. If I just removed the stress of having to write and get published, I could still live out a fulfilling life. Of course, no one would know who I am, but is that really so important? I bet other aspiring writers wouldn't mind if I gave up.
I wish I could say I'm in a position where I could say, "This is how I came out of it and became an established writer," but alas, I'm still in it. So, I'll just pretend I'm an established writer and try to give this advice:
- If you're nobody, then nobody cares what you do. Think about it. If nobody knows who you are, you have no deadlines. You don't have busy book signing schedules and all those other things established writers have to worry about. If you fall flat on your face, who's going to laugh at you? You'll just die one of those lonely deaths where no one hears a tree land on your grave. So, you might as well give it your all, right? Go corner that agent in the elevator!
- You really think you're going to stop writing? Face it. We aspiring writers have that brain defect I mentioned earlier. We have so many stories and ideas floating around in our heads, and if we don't stop writing our heads will explode (followed by a lonely death--remember that tree on your grave?).
- The day job isn't all that bad. It pays the bills. If you're happy with your job, it can actually free up time. Since you're not constantly chasing dollars, you can relax and write. Whoa! What's that on the floor? A dollar! Oh, yeah!
- So what if no one's reading your blogs? When you become famous, all your devoted fans will go back to ALL your wonderful past blog entries and read every word. Don't think of it as attracting attention now, but rather that you're setting up the stage to give your fans a ton of free stuff to read when the time is right.
- Depression? It comes in cycles. Since you're a nobody, it's okay to take a break when the chips are down. Go play some video games or whatever you do best when you can't do anything else.
- Those other established writers? Jealousy gets you nowhere. If someone else is doing better than you, figure out what he's doing right. Get into his head and leave nothing behind.
- Giving up isn't permanent. As long as you're still alive, you can still write. Has it been years since you touched a keyboard? Perfect! That means that all those magazine editors that you've been bothering have either moved on to bigger gigs or are dead by now. Green blood! These new guys don't know what's about to hit them, do they?
Sunday, October 30, 2011
2011 TV Fall - The Second Wave
The second wave of Fall shows are now upon us, and now all shows have been presented. Some have already been cancelled: "Charlie's Angels", "How To Be a Gentleman", "Free Agents", "The Playboy Club."
Some are in danger of being cancelled soon, but luckily, it appears that all ten shows that I've chosen to watch are still looking strong and will last at least through the end of the year. This also means that my DVR is going to fill up fast and it'll take me forever to catch up. Dang!
At the beginning of the month, I gave a report on the five shows that came in the first wave. Now, here's what I think about the next five shows...
Once Upon a Time: Only one episode in, the jury's still out. This show could either be awesome or stupid, but it's too early to tell. Just like in "Tron," the underlying premise is idiotic. The evil queen puts a spell on everyone so that they all end up in a horrible place and nobody remembers who they are. And where is this "horrible" place? It's in our world--a city called Storybrooke, Maine. Yes, it sounds like the punchline to a funny joke, but can you build a series on it?
Why did I bring up "Tron"? Because, I love both of the movies. They're cool once you get over the idiotic underlying premise. This means that "Once Upon a Time" has a chance. Already they've shown a few fun interactions between the characters. If they can keep that up, then I'll keep watching.
It looks like this could be a family show, but it's hard to tell with shows this day. How many times have you watched a show on the "Family" Channel (affiliated with ABC) with your kids and then ... whoa ... where did this mushy sex stuff come from? I don't remember the Pilot having anything too harsh for kids, but I feel the potential for some hanky panky down the road.
Grimm: NBC decided to delay the premiere of this show one week (as well as "Chuck") to get it closer to Halloween, and I have to say it was a good choice. I ended up liking this show more than I expected. Though, for once I'd like to see cops follow due process for a change.
Nick Burckhardt is a cop who also happens to be one of the few remaining descendants of the Brothers Grimm. He has inherited the gift of seeing monsters for what they really are. We normal folk see these monsters as regular people.
In this first episode, he's tracking down a big bad wolf who's eating girls that wear red hooded jackets. Despite having a couple of "why did they do that" moments, it turned out to be funny, suspenseful, and intriguing.
My main concern is that this show might become another "Smallville" with the creep of the week. Ask yourself this. In the Pilot of "Grimm," a wolf is killing these girls. The big bad wolf has been around for who knows how long, and the cops are just now learning about it? That was the problem with the early seasons of "Smallville," where the bad guys came one at a time as if they were fighting Bruce Lee. In real life, all these crimes would be happening at the same time.
Nevertheless, it appears that "Grimm" has an overlying story arc that promises to keep the energy running in the show. Some bad guys are after him, but who are they? I'll keep watching.
Chuck: The season opener began with a funny energy-filled first five minutes. Chuck no longer has his superpowers. Instead, Morgan is the star, though Morgan has retained his ... well ... his Morgan-ess. Now that Chuck and friends are kicked out of working for the government, Chuck is now trying to lead his ragtag compatriots through his new private spy contracting business, "Carmichael Industries." Now, that's funny!
I look forward to the rest of the season. I hope we get a full set of episodes, and then see a satisfying close to the series at the end.
Psych: It's in its sixth season, and it's still funny? How do they do that? We're a couple of episodes in, and I can't wait to see what happens next. It looks like they're concentrating a little more on Carlton, and there's a lot more of the mortuary dude. Keep it up, writers. It's always good to develop all the characters.
The Walking Dead: I saved the best for last. This is now my favorite show, and I never knew zombies could be fun. Well, I don't really like zombies, but I love a good apocalyptic story. If they only had one zombie attack every other week, that would be fine by me.
Though in the first episode, there was a lot more zombie attacks than usual. It's almost as if they took an episode off of developing story just to give us more action and let us remember where we left off last year. I think that was an appropriate decision. The second episode gave us more story and introduced some new characters.
This show promises a lot of story down the road. My comic-reading friends tell me they know "what's in the barn." I have no idea what they're talking about, but they say it's going to be cool. I'm racking my brain as to what could be so cool in that barn. Maybe they'll show us tonight.
What makes this show so great? How the writers focus on the people instead of the zombies. They develop characters and make us care. (Just keep that in mind next time you write something.)
Now to get ready for November sweeps...
Some are in danger of being cancelled soon, but luckily, it appears that all ten shows that I've chosen to watch are still looking strong and will last at least through the end of the year. This also means that my DVR is going to fill up fast and it'll take me forever to catch up. Dang!
At the beginning of the month, I gave a report on the five shows that came in the first wave. Now, here's what I think about the next five shows...
Once Upon a Time: Only one episode in, the jury's still out. This show could either be awesome or stupid, but it's too early to tell. Just like in "Tron," the underlying premise is idiotic. The evil queen puts a spell on everyone so that they all end up in a horrible place and nobody remembers who they are. And where is this "horrible" place? It's in our world--a city called Storybrooke, Maine. Yes, it sounds like the punchline to a funny joke, but can you build a series on it?
Why did I bring up "Tron"? Because, I love both of the movies. They're cool once you get over the idiotic underlying premise. This means that "Once Upon a Time" has a chance. Already they've shown a few fun interactions between the characters. If they can keep that up, then I'll keep watching.
It looks like this could be a family show, but it's hard to tell with shows this day. How many times have you watched a show on the "Family" Channel (affiliated with ABC) with your kids and then ... whoa ... where did this mushy sex stuff come from? I don't remember the Pilot having anything too harsh for kids, but I feel the potential for some hanky panky down the road.
Grimm: NBC decided to delay the premiere of this show one week (as well as "Chuck") to get it closer to Halloween, and I have to say it was a good choice. I ended up liking this show more than I expected. Though, for once I'd like to see cops follow due process for a change.
Nick Burckhardt is a cop who also happens to be one of the few remaining descendants of the Brothers Grimm. He has inherited the gift of seeing monsters for what they really are. We normal folk see these monsters as regular people.
In this first episode, he's tracking down a big bad wolf who's eating girls that wear red hooded jackets. Despite having a couple of "why did they do that" moments, it turned out to be funny, suspenseful, and intriguing.
My main concern is that this show might become another "Smallville" with the creep of the week. Ask yourself this. In the Pilot of "Grimm," a wolf is killing these girls. The big bad wolf has been around for who knows how long, and the cops are just now learning about it? That was the problem with the early seasons of "Smallville," where the bad guys came one at a time as if they were fighting Bruce Lee. In real life, all these crimes would be happening at the same time.
Nevertheless, it appears that "Grimm" has an overlying story arc that promises to keep the energy running in the show. Some bad guys are after him, but who are they? I'll keep watching.
Chuck: The season opener began with a funny energy-filled first five minutes. Chuck no longer has his superpowers. Instead, Morgan is the star, though Morgan has retained his ... well ... his Morgan-ess. Now that Chuck and friends are kicked out of working for the government, Chuck is now trying to lead his ragtag compatriots through his new private spy contracting business, "Carmichael Industries." Now, that's funny!
I look forward to the rest of the season. I hope we get a full set of episodes, and then see a satisfying close to the series at the end.
Psych: It's in its sixth season, and it's still funny? How do they do that? We're a couple of episodes in, and I can't wait to see what happens next. It looks like they're concentrating a little more on Carlton, and there's a lot more of the mortuary dude. Keep it up, writers. It's always good to develop all the characters.
The Walking Dead: I saved the best for last. This is now my favorite show, and I never knew zombies could be fun. Well, I don't really like zombies, but I love a good apocalyptic story. If they only had one zombie attack every other week, that would be fine by me.
Though in the first episode, there was a lot more zombie attacks than usual. It's almost as if they took an episode off of developing story just to give us more action and let us remember where we left off last year. I think that was an appropriate decision. The second episode gave us more story and introduced some new characters.
This show promises a lot of story down the road. My comic-reading friends tell me they know "what's in the barn." I have no idea what they're talking about, but they say it's going to be cool. I'm racking my brain as to what could be so cool in that barn. Maybe they'll show us tonight.
What makes this show so great? How the writers focus on the people instead of the zombies. They develop characters and make us care. (Just keep that in mind next time you write something.)
Now to get ready for November sweeps...
Sunday, October 23, 2011
After the Lot: Sam Friedlander
Sam Friedlander placed 4th in the 2007 show "On The Lot." Click here to see my overview of his films for that show.
Four years later, Sam is still pushing ahead in his career. He is an associate producer of the show "Royal Pains" on the USA Network.
He has also teamed up with his "On The Lot" 3rd place compatriot, Adam Stein (blurb coming soon), and "Royal Pains" actor, Mark Feuerstein in creating Supdawg Productions. In 2009, Supdawg put out the web series "The Hustler," an over-the-top dark comedy featuring an unrealistically awesome on-the-edge dude. Sam co-produced, co-wrote, and co-directed the thirteen episodes. Below is first episode, and you can catch the rest on Crackle. (And yes - the Hustler is that "Royal Pains" doctor.)
I look forward to more Sam Friedlander productions.
Four years later, Sam is still pushing ahead in his career. He is an associate producer of the show "Royal Pains" on the USA Network.
He has also teamed up with his "On The Lot" 3rd place compatriot, Adam Stein (blurb coming soon), and "Royal Pains" actor, Mark Feuerstein in creating Supdawg Productions. In 2009, Supdawg put out the web series "The Hustler," an over-the-top dark comedy featuring an unrealistically awesome on-the-edge dude. Sam co-produced, co-wrote, and co-directed the thirteen episodes. Below is first episode, and you can catch the rest on Crackle. (And yes - the Hustler is that "Royal Pains" doctor.)
I look forward to more Sam Friedlander productions.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
2011 TV Fall - The First Wave
The first wave of shows has infiltrated our homes. Some shows delivered, and others have already tanked. One of the worst, "The Playboy Club," is already in danger of being cancelled after only two episodes.
For once, so far I am happy with my choices in shows to watch: 4 new shows and 6 returning.
Person of Interest: A decent show. After watching the first two episodes, I'm going to keep on watching. The whole premise is cool: a supercomputer predicts when a major crime is about to happen, but all they have access to is a social security number. They have to work quickly to fill in the blanks, and stop the crime before it occurs. Of course, everything they're doing is dangerous and illegal. So, they get beat up, and you wonder how much longer they can keep it up. This is all cool.
There are still a few problems with execution. In one scene, Reese says, "Don't try to find me, we'll meet on my time," and then they're together in the very next scene. In another scene (or was it in the opening credits?), they say, "no one can find us," but there they are walking on the sidewalk in plain sight. We can see them. But who cares? I'm enjoying watching this show. You can catch the first two episodes on cbs.com.
Terra Nova: Now my favorite show, as long as they can keep it up. After watching the pilot, I just said, "Wow." The special effects are beyond awesome. The story grabbed me and didn't let go. It's clear that they spared no expense.
Set 150 years in the future, it appears we don't have long before we become overpopulated, with oxygen depleting and no moon or stars in the sky. But then after discovering a rip in space-time that opens to a place millions of years in the past, they start sending "pilgrimages" to colonize and grab a second chance on life. The show starts with the tenth pilgrimage.
And get this (this is very important). They go back in time to a different parallel universe. Without this, the show's premise falls apart. Just their being on ancient Earth with all that technology would destroy the "original" human species' chance of evolving. But it's okay in a parallel universe. It nicely avoids those timey-wimey paradoxes.
After watching an hour, and they finally arrived at the camp, I thought: "Okay, here we are in Jurassic Park. It was fun getting here, but now what are we going to do for a season? It's not like we need any more dinosaurs. We already have three movies, plus the rumor of a fourth." But they delivered in the last hour. You can always count on human nature to provide an interesting story.
The sixth pilgrimage was corrupted. They somehow fixed the Lottery and they have an unknown agenda. They no longer live inside the camp. The leader lost his son in the second pilgrimage, but he's still alive somewhere.
I'll keep watching. Ratings were a little low for the premiere, which is always concerning. If you haven't watched already, check out the Pilot on hulu.com.
The Office: This show might just survive without Michael Scott. The remaining characters have their chance to shine now. My favorite character is Kevin. He very funny. My least favorite is (and I have to look up her name) Angela. Her constant ribbing of Pam is getting on my nerves. James Spader is a fun addition. That whole genius thing is funny. I don't know about his idea to raise prices to attract customers, though. Who wants a pyramid?
Fringe: The first episode was decent. Though, I'm a little concerned that these zombie shape-shifters may dominate this season. I really like the "new guy". He's new because the timeline has been rewritten and he's no longer part of Fringe Division. But now he's back in a different capacity. I wonder if he's still a leader-type in the alternate universe. I would assume not, as they would have met him already. How long is it going to take for Peter to come back? Oh, please make it interesting! It already feels like, "I can't believe we made it this far."
Simpsons: The first episode had its funny moments, but the magic of the earlier seasons is pretty much gone. Keifer was funny in his guest role. I'll keep watching, because every now and then they hit gold.
Still waiting for the second wave of shows in October: Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Psych, The Walking Dead, Chuck.
For once, so far I am happy with my choices in shows to watch: 4 new shows and 6 returning.
Person of Interest: A decent show. After watching the first two episodes, I'm going to keep on watching. The whole premise is cool: a supercomputer predicts when a major crime is about to happen, but all they have access to is a social security number. They have to work quickly to fill in the blanks, and stop the crime before it occurs. Of course, everything they're doing is dangerous and illegal. So, they get beat up, and you wonder how much longer they can keep it up. This is all cool.
There are still a few problems with execution. In one scene, Reese says, "Don't try to find me, we'll meet on my time," and then they're together in the very next scene. In another scene (or was it in the opening credits?), they say, "no one can find us," but there they are walking on the sidewalk in plain sight. We can see them. But who cares? I'm enjoying watching this show. You can catch the first two episodes on cbs.com.
Terra Nova: Now my favorite show, as long as they can keep it up. After watching the pilot, I just said, "Wow." The special effects are beyond awesome. The story grabbed me and didn't let go. It's clear that they spared no expense.
Set 150 years in the future, it appears we don't have long before we become overpopulated, with oxygen depleting and no moon or stars in the sky. But then after discovering a rip in space-time that opens to a place millions of years in the past, they start sending "pilgrimages" to colonize and grab a second chance on life. The show starts with the tenth pilgrimage.
And get this (this is very important). They go back in time to a different parallel universe. Without this, the show's premise falls apart. Just their being on ancient Earth with all that technology would destroy the "original" human species' chance of evolving. But it's okay in a parallel universe. It nicely avoids those timey-wimey paradoxes.
After watching an hour, and they finally arrived at the camp, I thought: "Okay, here we are in Jurassic Park. It was fun getting here, but now what are we going to do for a season? It's not like we need any more dinosaurs. We already have three movies, plus the rumor of a fourth." But they delivered in the last hour. You can always count on human nature to provide an interesting story.
The sixth pilgrimage was corrupted. They somehow fixed the Lottery and they have an unknown agenda. They no longer live inside the camp. The leader lost his son in the second pilgrimage, but he's still alive somewhere.
I'll keep watching. Ratings were a little low for the premiere, which is always concerning. If you haven't watched already, check out the Pilot on hulu.com.
The Office: This show might just survive without Michael Scott. The remaining characters have their chance to shine now. My favorite character is Kevin. He very funny. My least favorite is (and I have to look up her name) Angela. Her constant ribbing of Pam is getting on my nerves. James Spader is a fun addition. That whole genius thing is funny. I don't know about his idea to raise prices to attract customers, though. Who wants a pyramid?
Fringe: The first episode was decent. Though, I'm a little concerned that these zombie shape-shifters may dominate this season. I really like the "new guy". He's new because the timeline has been rewritten and he's no longer part of Fringe Division. But now he's back in a different capacity. I wonder if he's still a leader-type in the alternate universe. I would assume not, as they would have met him already. How long is it going to take for Peter to come back? Oh, please make it interesting! It already feels like, "I can't believe we made it this far."
Simpsons: The first episode had its funny moments, but the magic of the earlier seasons is pretty much gone. Keifer was funny in his guest role. I'll keep watching, because every now and then they hit gold.
Still waiting for the second wave of shows in October: Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Psych, The Walking Dead, Chuck.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Write 1 Sub 1 - September
Starting in July, I joined the Write 1 Sub 1 challenge. You can either choose monthly or weekly. I chose monthly since I write longer stories (and I'm usually crazy busy). This means that every month, I write something, and I submit something.
In July and August, I met the challenge, but a few days late. This time, I beat the end of the month, which meant a little hunkering down the last couple of weeks.
Write 1: "The Long Hall" - an excerpt taken from my yet-to-be-published novel "Escape From the Planet Justice."
Sub 1: "The Depths of Inner Space" - the journey of three scientists through the center of the earth.
Boo-yah!
PS, if you like this blog, please click on that Facebook Like button over to the right. I only need 16 more fans to reach 50. Thanks!
Saturday, September 17, 2011
2011 TV Fall Preview
Here's my list of shows that I'll try to watch this Fall. It all starts this upcoming week, and just in time as SyFy summer comes to a close. Note: all times are Eastern.
New Shows
Person of Interest (CBS Thursday 9PM - 9/22): As this is produced by J. J. Abrams and Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathan, I'm already excited. What happens when you team up Benjamin Linus with Jesus? You get a scientist and a "dead" CIA agent who try to stop crimes before they occur. Note: don't confuse this with last year's low-rated film by the same name.
Terra Nova (FOX Monday 8PM - 9/26): It reminds me of one of the only two "South Park" episodes I ever watched. People from the future go back in time to give life a second chance. Despite the premise being a little silly, this looks like an exciting show. You can't go wrong with Steven Spielberg, but I really hope this won't be a "Jurassic Park" rehash.
Grimm (NBC Friday 9PM - 10/21): This dude is a descendant of the Brothers Grimm. It turns out the stories really happened, and the Grimm line has the power to see people as they really are. This show could either be really great or it could fall on its face.
Once Upon A Time (ABC Sunday 8PM - 10/23): Of the four new shows I'm choosing to watch, this one appears to be the most interesting and imaginative. It's written by those LOST guys, so anything could happen. It appears that there's the "real world" and the "fairy world" that happen at the same time? And the characters exist in both worlds? We'll see how it goes. It's also got Robert Carlyle, who always plays a fun, conflicted bad guy.
Returning Shows
The Office (NBC Thursday 9PM - 9/22): Can the show survive without Steve Carell? They're adding James Spader as the new CEO. He's a genius. Rumor is it that they will have one of the existing regulars take Micheal's job. Who will it be? Jim? Dwight? Creed? I've got to keep watching and see how the show ends.
Fringe (FOX Friday 9PM - 9/23): So far it's my favorite Network show currently showing. When we last left off, Peter Bishop has ceased to exist. What does that mean? I hope they don't resolve it in just one or two episodes (like Mika coming back to Warehouse 13). I hope they drag it out to an awesome emotional climax at a mid-season finale.
The Simpsons (FOX Sunday 8PM - 9/25): Can't stop watching them. D'oh!
Psych (USA Wednesday 10PM - 10/12): The funniest show I'm still watching. It's my kind of humor, and they keep referring to the 80's. That's my era.
The Walking Dead (AMC Sunday 9PM - 10/16): The biggest surprise of last year. I'm waiting patiently for it to restart. This show actually gave me nightmares (usually featuring me as a zombie and realizing it's not really that bad). We'll see if they can keep it up.
Chuck (NBC Friday 8PM - 10/21): I'll keep watching this one as long as they show it. The episodes are hit-or-miss, but there are still some pretty funny moments.
New Shows
Person of Interest (CBS Thursday 9PM - 9/22): As this is produced by J. J. Abrams and Christopher Nolan's brother, Jonathan, I'm already excited. What happens when you team up Benjamin Linus with Jesus? You get a scientist and a "dead" CIA agent who try to stop crimes before they occur. Note: don't confuse this with last year's low-rated film by the same name.
Terra Nova (FOX Monday 8PM - 9/26): It reminds me of one of the only two "South Park" episodes I ever watched. People from the future go back in time to give life a second chance. Despite the premise being a little silly, this looks like an exciting show. You can't go wrong with Steven Spielberg, but I really hope this won't be a "Jurassic Park" rehash.
Grimm (NBC Friday 9PM - 10/21): This dude is a descendant of the Brothers Grimm. It turns out the stories really happened, and the Grimm line has the power to see people as they really are. This show could either be really great or it could fall on its face.
Once Upon A Time (ABC Sunday 8PM - 10/23): Of the four new shows I'm choosing to watch, this one appears to be the most interesting and imaginative. It's written by those LOST guys, so anything could happen. It appears that there's the "real world" and the "fairy world" that happen at the same time? And the characters exist in both worlds? We'll see how it goes. It's also got Robert Carlyle, who always plays a fun, conflicted bad guy.
Returning Shows
The Office (NBC Thursday 9PM - 9/22): Can the show survive without Steve Carell? They're adding James Spader as the new CEO. He's a genius. Rumor is it that they will have one of the existing regulars take Micheal's job. Who will it be? Jim? Dwight? Creed? I've got to keep watching and see how the show ends.
Fringe (FOX Friday 9PM - 9/23): So far it's my favorite Network show currently showing. When we last left off, Peter Bishop has ceased to exist. What does that mean? I hope they don't resolve it in just one or two episodes (like Mika coming back to Warehouse 13). I hope they drag it out to an awesome emotional climax at a mid-season finale.
The Simpsons (FOX Sunday 8PM - 9/25): Can't stop watching them. D'oh!
Psych (USA Wednesday 10PM - 10/12): The funniest show I'm still watching. It's my kind of humor, and they keep referring to the 80's. That's my era.
The Walking Dead (AMC Sunday 9PM - 10/16): The biggest surprise of last year. I'm waiting patiently for it to restart. This show actually gave me nightmares (usually featuring me as a zombie and realizing it's not really that bad). We'll see if they can keep it up.
Chuck (NBC Friday 8PM - 10/21): I'll keep watching this one as long as they show it. The episodes are hit-or-miss, but there are still some pretty funny moments.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Review - Rango and Mars Needs Moms
Today I'll review two movies--one critically acclaimed and one critically slammed. And guess what! I had the exact opposite reaction.
Rango: Currently, this sits at 7.5 on IMDB.com. Roger Ebert says, "An animated comedy for smart moviegoers." I had high hopes for this movie, but something just felt missing.
The movie does have its moments. There are quite a few funny scenes (most of which are in the previews). The plot is somewhat interesting, though it's just another typical Western. (Hey, I did like Cowboys and Aliens.) There's noticeable character development (though formulaic). The animation is nearly flawless. It had all the makings of a great film, so why was I disappointed?
It was just boring. I don't know if it was pacing, or the fact that I don't really like lizards. Or perhaps it was the feeling that I saw it all before and knew what was going to happen and wished for someone to change the formula.
But most importantly, my kids thought it was boring. The only things they liked were the "Pirates of the Caribbean" references. (I'll take their word for it. I did recognize the one scene lifted from "At World's End.") The innuendos and the beheaded naked Barbie top made my older kids uncomfortable. Just like the recent Land of the Lost, this movie struggles to find its target audience. Is it for kids? The trailer seems to say so. Then why all the sex jokes? Kids really do pick up on those, and if they're not old enough to understand, they just feel uncomfortable. If you make a really good movie, then you don't need to "add something for the adults." Look at "Toy Story" and ... well ... most Pixar movies.
Despite all the positives this movie had, it just didn't deliver.
Mars Needs Moms: This sits at 4.9 on IMDB.com. Jason McKiernan of Filmcritic.com says, "Mars doesn't need moms, and Earth doesn't need this movie." Very witty and a typical critic attitude. If it's trash, it doesn't even deserve to exist. Lo and behold, the $150 million movie didn't even break $22 million.
I had already heard what the critics said and avoided this movie until it appeared on our Netflix queue. I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the whole concept is idiotic. (That didn't stop me from enjoying Tron and Tron: Legacy.) Sure, the animation is no where near Pixar quality. (Though the whole matching human movement technology is pretty cool and I liked all the color combinations.) Sure, the setup of the problem (women separated from men, and women raised by nanny bots) and the whole resolution is absurd. (But what else do you expect from a Disney movie?)
There is a lot in this movie for anyone to despise it, but something happened when I watched. The jokes were funny. Some of the scenes were touching. This movie had heart. My kids--ALL OF THEM--watched it the whole way through. There was no running around hitting each other or running to the bathroom saying, "Don't pause it for me." Something about the movie was captivating.
To summarize:
Rango = good but boring. Kids went to sleep and/or got offended by sex jokes.
Mars Needs Moms = bad but captivating. Kids even watched the extras on the DVD.
My advice: if you watch "Rango," plan to watch it without the kids, and put on your "smart" hats. You wouldn't want Ebert to call you dumb.
If you have kids, put "Mars Needs Moms" on your queue. It's definitely worth a buck, and you may even enjoy this sleeper. And if a critic catches you watching it, you can just go tell him to ...
Rango: Currently, this sits at 7.5 on IMDB.com. Roger Ebert says, "An animated comedy for smart moviegoers." I had high hopes for this movie, but something just felt missing.
The movie does have its moments. There are quite a few funny scenes (most of which are in the previews). The plot is somewhat interesting, though it's just another typical Western. (Hey, I did like Cowboys and Aliens.) There's noticeable character development (though formulaic). The animation is nearly flawless. It had all the makings of a great film, so why was I disappointed?
It was just boring. I don't know if it was pacing, or the fact that I don't really like lizards. Or perhaps it was the feeling that I saw it all before and knew what was going to happen and wished for someone to change the formula.
But most importantly, my kids thought it was boring. The only things they liked were the "Pirates of the Caribbean" references. (I'll take their word for it. I did recognize the one scene lifted from "At World's End.") The innuendos and the beheaded naked Barbie top made my older kids uncomfortable. Just like the recent Land of the Lost, this movie struggles to find its target audience. Is it for kids? The trailer seems to say so. Then why all the sex jokes? Kids really do pick up on those, and if they're not old enough to understand, they just feel uncomfortable. If you make a really good movie, then you don't need to "add something for the adults." Look at "Toy Story" and ... well ... most Pixar movies.
Despite all the positives this movie had, it just didn't deliver.
Mars Needs Moms: This sits at 4.9 on IMDB.com. Jason McKiernan of Filmcritic.com says, "Mars doesn't need moms, and Earth doesn't need this movie." Very witty and a typical critic attitude. If it's trash, it doesn't even deserve to exist. Lo and behold, the $150 million movie didn't even break $22 million.
I had already heard what the critics said and avoided this movie until it appeared on our Netflix queue. I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, the whole concept is idiotic. (That didn't stop me from enjoying Tron and Tron: Legacy.) Sure, the animation is no where near Pixar quality. (Though the whole matching human movement technology is pretty cool and I liked all the color combinations.) Sure, the setup of the problem (women separated from men, and women raised by nanny bots) and the whole resolution is absurd. (But what else do you expect from a Disney movie?)
There is a lot in this movie for anyone to despise it, but something happened when I watched. The jokes were funny. Some of the scenes were touching. This movie had heart. My kids--ALL OF THEM--watched it the whole way through. There was no running around hitting each other or running to the bathroom saying, "Don't pause it for me." Something about the movie was captivating.
To summarize:
Rango = good but boring. Kids went to sleep and/or got offended by sex jokes.
Mars Needs Moms = bad but captivating. Kids even watched the extras on the DVD.
My advice: if you watch "Rango," plan to watch it without the kids, and put on your "smart" hats. You wouldn't want Ebert to call you dumb.
If you have kids, put "Mars Needs Moms" on your queue. It's definitely worth a buck, and you may even enjoy this sleeper. And if a critic catches you watching it, you can just go tell him to ...
Monday, August 29, 2011
I Need a New Title
Help! I need a catchier title for this blog. I'm tired of seeing my full name in every Google search result that references my blog. I'm thinking something like: "Mel's Something" or "The <blank> of Mel" or maybe an acronym like "My Ever Lasting Blog." (That spells MELB.) I'd also like the title to be short so people will see more of each individual post titles in the Google Searches.
I first started out with "Mel-o-rama's Writing Blog."
I quickly changed it to "Mel-o-rama's Club of Aspiring Writers."
And now it is "Melvyn Windham - Aspiring Writer."
Any ideas?
I first started out with "Mel-o-rama's Writing Blog."
I quickly changed it to "Mel-o-rama's Club of Aspiring Writers."
And now it is "Melvyn Windham - Aspiring Writer."
Any ideas?
Thursday, August 25, 2011
USPC Puzzle Championship 2011
I've been a little busy lately--tidying up stories and preparing for this year's USPC Puzzle Competition. This Saturday starting at 1PM, I will join hundreds of other geeky types in solving as many puzzles as possible in 2 1/2 hours.
You score points for every puzzle you solve correctly. I think you get around 400 points total. In 2007 (or 2008) I tried this contest for the first time and scored 70 points. Then I missed a couple of years due to conflicts.
I tried again last year with the goal of breaking 100 points. I was doing great. I earned 70 points in the first hour, with a full 1 1/2 hours left. Then something happened. I froze! I couldn't finish another puzzle. Then in the last ten minutes, I decided to end with one of those "count the triangles in this picture" puzzle. I thought I had the right answer, but was off by one. They took off 5 points. Final score = 65. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
This time I'll do it. 100 points!!!! Bonsai!!!!
You score points for every puzzle you solve correctly. I think you get around 400 points total. In 2007 (or 2008) I tried this contest for the first time and scored 70 points. Then I missed a couple of years due to conflicts.
I tried again last year with the goal of breaking 100 points. I was doing great. I earned 70 points in the first hour, with a full 1 1/2 hours left. Then something happened. I froze! I couldn't finish another puzzle. Then in the last ten minutes, I decided to end with one of those "count the triangles in this picture" puzzle. I thought I had the right answer, but was off by one. They took off 5 points. Final score = 65. NOOOOOOO!!!!!!
This time I'll do it. 100 points!!!! Bonsai!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)