One potato, Two Potato, Couch Potato More...

First off, how is it that Bravo now has a cooking show where viewers call in with a score. Has smell-o-vision become a reality? I gotta get me some of that! And, what's the deal with reality TV in general. Everyone is getting so nice and helpful... that's just wrong.

On other fronts, my running program has been progressing again. I'm on the back end of my fourth week on the nine week program. That's kind of really when we're getting to half running and half walking. Until now it's been more walking than running. Does this mean I am now officially a runner?

The big change is that week four began last week and began with my first outdoor run -- off treadmill. It was a great run. You'll note that I mention that week four started last week and I'm just past the middle a week later... So a little off schedule...

Then I traveled and got distracted with the end of my vacation. I had a delay, a break, got a little off track... And then on Tuesday, I decided that I would start running again, on the treadmill. But I was hungry, so I had a little dinner first. About half way through the first run segment I started feeling bad. And a minute into my second running segment, I was in a world of HURT. And I made the executive decision. Stop running, this sucks! I was about to faint/puke/keel over/ other wise express some sort of bodily rebellion. And I walked/cooled down to get to about 15 minutes of activity, but it clearly was not a full run. So I'd need to make it up. I was surprised, because I have a history of being very resilient to food effects during exercise. I think I'm getting old...

So Tonight, I decided to try again. Once again, I was too hungry to run without eating. So I got a hamburger. I'm not always that bright. I had some issues, and regretted the heavy food. But, it was easy to keep it within my capabilities, since I was on the road, not a treadmill. In the end, the run was good and I was really proud to have done it. I've still got a way to go, but I'm getting there and that's cool.

I'm officially a convert -- see you on the road.

Revenge of the Spiders and Bugs and Bees Oh My!

So I'm back from my semi-hiatus/vacation. I spent time in Chicago, the suburbs, and The Bluffs of Minnesota. where there was a lot less access to the Internet than I expected. so... I wrote long hand. I am NOT going to be so industrious as to transcribe all of the stuff I wrote. I doubt anyone expected that.

I also have a long draft, e-mail that I could send over to catch up. But I'm not feeling it all these days later. I WILL, however, post a review of my Hotel in Chicago. OK, not great.

I was in Chicago as a tourist, with a friend. In the suburbs for a high-school class reunion. And went to Minnesota to a family reunion.

While in the wilds of southeastern Minnesota, I was out with a bunch of my family members, communing with nature, singing and generally hanging with the more Hippie branch of my peeps. When a force of the world found me and decided that singing was not something I should be doing. It sounds highly unlikely, but I WAS, in fact, stung/bitten/pinched on the inside of my lower lip. At first I was stunned and jumping around like a crazy person. Then I decided it was my cue to mellow out on the song part of the afternoon. Later I had a pretty serious, self-guided, anxiety experience. I'm used to cuts and things inside of my mouth healing very quickly. When the bite/sting/pinch wasn't getting better over several days, which included several doses of Benadryl, I was sure that I had been bitten by a brown spider and would permanently have a hole in my lip. I would never be able to use any topical creams on it, because you can't eat the strong stuff. And I'd never kiss anyone ever again... I'm such a drama queen once I get worked up.

Long story short. it got pretty swollen, I accidentally bit most of it off (gross I know) and the next day it pretty much healed itself.

Back in the Saddle Again.

I went to the theater today... FINALLY. I have been out of the movie theater for almost two weeks. That's two weeks too long. It felt good to settle into the stadium seating, open up the burger I sneaked in, and lean back in a nearly empty theater. Listen to the excessively loud warning to turn off cell phones, and wonder if my phone is on vibrate-- do I need to dig it out of my bag? Will anyone hear it if it goes off?

Then I settled in for the new Transformer's movie. I had heard it called an art film by other bloggers and have to say that I understood the perspective. It is indulgent in the story line and a very "Hollywood" ending. With a sub-title like revenge of the fallen, I was foolishly expecting a revenge. This is a bit like the deception of log lines or trailers, you can taunt the viewer with any sort of expectation, but after they have paid to sit in the seat, all bets are off. It's too bad, I was expecting a real down swing for a doubly triumphant third movie, and instead they read like a Saturday Morning Cartoon... I guess they had proper inspiration to go that way... Perhaps, like Saturday Morning Cartoons the iterations will be endless, predictable and full of action. I mean sequels!

So I am nearing the end of the biography. I have actually run out of back story and am getting to screen story. This is good. it actually has produced an interesting "prequel" of sorts. I really feel like I have motivated and fleshed out characters so far. However, I need to write another biography. That of the son. While the father and son are close. I think I should write the story of their lives together from each perspective so that I can walk away with a clear sense of prespective and purpose.

What's interesting is that my hero son keeps getting overshadowed by the story of his father. I guess that this is because I'm writing the father's story first. I didn't want the father as the main character, and yet here he is, in the middle of the story's guts. I suspect, though that I had to write the father's story first - because it builds to the sons story. So once I finish with the father's story then I need to get the son's down and probably the girl friday's story as well.

The Proof is in the Putting

The interesting thing about actually trying to be disciplined in developing a screen play is that you don't really get away with BS-ing yourself. It's amazing how much I gloss over in the log line, the pitch, the outline, the treatment the summary. I can't get away with the gloss over in the biography of the character. And I realized as I had another stuck in a story moment this evening, that this kind of exercise is exactly what left me floundering to start writing my first script. There was so much I hadn't decided about my characters, that finding the right experiences and decisions seemed impossible. Because they could be like this person or like that person. But now, creating the bio of my main character's father, I'm already seeing that it has to be one story all the way through.

So my response to that short coming was to write a story that didn't dwell on the characters but rather focused on the action. And this was the weakness of that script - as I re-read it and think about editing and changes, additions to the story line. It becomes clear because I'm taking more time to think about the story before the camera's showed up and I wrote FADE IN.

In other news, I am now certain that comedy is not the way to go to be in the top grossing movies. it's the age old conundrum that most people have the same fears and hang ups and worries, but not everybody is going to laugh at the same things.

So it's not surprising that the top movies of all time *adjusted dollars include such master works as Jaws and The Exorcist. (I mean pretty much everyone is afraid of sharks and green pea soup!) You have to get to the 30th film before you get a comedy - Shrek 2 if you can believe it. A case of the sequel surpassing the original. And even then I don't really consider Shrek a comedy as much as a family comedy. If you will indulge my particular slant that family comedies don't count in the same way because they get the "kid bump" Take your kids to see a movie and you don't want to pull out your hair... go twice...

Then you have to get to number 39 and "Beverly Hills Cop" for the first true comedy. Ahh Eddie Murphy, how the mighty have fallen.. though I must admit I did go see "Imagine That" It was cute. But, it's a good thing movies are cheap around here or I would have complained.

Employment and Work: Money and Art

I have long been a regular Joe in corporate America. But I've also long been working on writing. I wonder how much I give myself by having this other job, and how much I lose. I definitely lose momentum, when I have it, and then need to move on to go get paid. How to professional writers do it? marry well? suffer for their art? just keep trying like me?

Well the book I've been working with, with this script has helped me see how my previous writing process was comprehensive, but could be improved. As I look at other movies, I've seen where the basics proposed in this book, could have improved a mediocre movie, and how it could improve scripts I have already written. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the first class or book... I've read quite a few, but hadn't read a screenwriting book for some time, and it is re-orienting me to the craft.

What I'm realizing is that most screen writing groups focus on the process of writing a script and sharing it. But not on how you think about developing a script, and improving it before you put pen to paper.  So, I have and continue to delay in writing the new script. However, I have proceeded with exercises that have opened my eyes as to decisions that need to be made and interactions and complexities that I would have needed to untangle if I had just started writing.  

I believe that I have moved from the quick moving education to the slow moving education.  That is, the first 20 percent of what you learn covers 80 percent of the challenge. It's committing to the next bit that I believe will differentiate the dilettante/hobbyist from the professional.  

Songs in the Key of F9

Ok, I just got an apple, an iMac to be precise, and there are some learning pains. The function keys aren't quite in the "right" place and the functions aren't always quite what I expect. What I do expect is that since I have an iPod and iPhone, that all of these things will work together. That will be cool, right?  Now they have a special service you need to buy called mobile me to get these things to "really" work in harmony.  The sales pitch is something like, " Well you can get these things to talk to each other, but it's soooo much easier if you get mobile me." This is the part where I think something like. Didn't I just buy these (let's face it) high priced items so they would talk to each other and have high usability and stuff? Why are you gouging me so they can perform "optimally" after I've purchased your brand over and over again.... Ahhhh there in lies the marketing attraction...

I can see them now, looking at how to make more money in the down economy.

INT. APPLE BOARD ROOM -- DAY

A modern room with Apple logo. Has massive conference table with a suit in every chair. MARKETER #1 leans forward conspiratorially

MARKETER #1

Well, they've already spent thousands of dollars on an iPhone, iPod, and iMac. Significantly cheaper alternatives exist, that have been avoided. This is a consumer that WANTS to give us money.

Am I right or am I right...

Heads nod around the table

MARKETER #2 

You know what, I think he's right.  let's ask for $99. our consumers will try anything for $99.

OK, I have to be honest. I did NOT buy the mobile me stuff. But I might use AMEX points to do it... I'll keep you posted.