Come on, you know you want one!

Last weekend marked the passing of legendary carmaker John DeLorean. DeLorean was, of course, the man behind the car that bared his name, but he was also responsible for my favorite car of all time, the Pontiac GTO. If you are like me (and I know I am), you have been waiting to purchase a new DeLorean. So pick one up, just make sure you give me a ride.

It was only a matter of time

Woman who found finger at Wendy's files claim against franchise

What the f&%k is Grafedia?

I should be in bed but I found this cool site about Grafedia.

“What is Grafedia?” you ask?

Apparently, it looks like graffiti, but it is always blue with a blue underline. You just enter what ever the word is and @grafedia.net and you will be sent information back to your computer or cell phone. The idea is to one day put in on the sides of buildings to let you know what is inside.

You can even make your own.

Is it the future in advertising?

Only time will tell.

Happy Easter, Geek Style

In honor of Easter, let’s look at some Easter eggs. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about; Easter eggs are hidden surprises in software and DVD’s put there by programmers for there own enjoyment.

Thanks to Leo for the link.

Easter Bunnies, Firemen, & Pirates (Oh, Sh%t)

Or, Political Correctness, run amuck.

Ever since I can remember, my dad has been a fireman. Not a firefighter. A fireman.
I know that it is now politically correct to say firefighter, but I consider myself excluded from that rule. I remember when I was in the first grade and my dad would show up in a fire engine to pick me up; talk about being the cool kid. So, you could say that I was “grandfathered in” and I am allowed to say fireman instead of firefighter.

“So what?” you say.

“What does that have to do with the Easter Bunny?”

Well, some knuckleheads had seen fit to tell us that we have to change the name of the Easter Bunny to . . . well, I don’t know what their alternative title would be and frankly, I really don’t care. Apparently, not everyone celebrates Easter and they feel left out of the whole bunny thing.

Really?

I do not claim any religious affiliation and, surprisingly, I am okay with the bunny’s moniker. Maybe that is because the Easter Bunny, and in fact, Easter, predate Christianity. Another fact, most “Christian Holidays” have roots in pagan rituals. It basically boils down to “can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em”

But, I digress.

Leave the Easter Bunny alone.

“And what about the pirates?” you ask.

When was the last time you were at Disneyland? Well, The Pirates of the Caribbean has always been my favorite ride. In case you live on a commune (with electricity and internet access, apparently) this ride takes you on a boat ride into the world of pirates as they sack and pillage (no murder, it is Disney).

At one point in the ride, we witness a “Bride Auction” where pirates can purchase a wife. Next we see the pirates chasing their newly acquired bride around the town. Well, apparently it is not politically correct for pirates to chase woman. The nerve! So, that portion of the ride was subtly changed and food was placed in the hands of the women. So now, the pirates are (wait for it) chasing the food and not the woman. Pirating can make you hungry.

Three words.

They. Are. Pirates.

Oh, and remember the bridal auction? Still there. So, for those of you playing the home game; buying a wife, okay. Chasing your new acquired wife, not okay.

AAAHHHGGGRRR.

People, people, people.

You will never beat us. So, hop in and enjoy the ride.

Long Live the Mix Tape

Can you keep a secret? Just between friends? I don’t own an iPod. What? you say. Then, how do I listen to music? The good old fashion mix tape. I am usually at home, in my car, or at my desk, with a CD player at each location. I have been buying CDs for almost 20 years and have accumulated quite a collection; of course, most are in boxes in my garage.

Today, my wife and I are going for a drive and I decided to make a CD. Not all-time greatest hits but some good hits for today. It always amazes me when someone can name their favorite band or favorite song of all time. I could never do it. It depends what kind of mood I am in. Whenever I hear a song, I am transported back to the time when the song was popular. When I hear Depeche Mode, I am sixteen again and driving around in my ’64 LeMans. When I hear U2’s Joshua Tree, I am a sophomore in high school and going to my first concert with Mitch.

Today is a cool day with some high clouds and we are driving out to Riverside to pick up our daughter who is spending the night at her cousin’s house. It feels like a day for John Mayer, The Postal Service, Jack Johnson, and David Grey. So, I’ll take my favorites and burn them and when I listen to the compilation, I will always remember the drive I took with my wife.

Get off my box

Enough is enough!

1) The government should not care what I watch on television.

2) If you see something that you don’t like on television, turn the channel.

3) My neighbor should not care what I watch.

4) If my neighbor sees something he doesn’t like on television, he should turn the channel and trust that I have the good sense to do the same if I so desire.

5) The FCC has too much power

6) Rep. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is my new hero

What am I talking about? The House has passed an “Indecency Bill” that would increase fines to $500,000 per violation. Well Senator, get out your checkbook because I am offended!

Some of you will say that the FCC is merely enforcing the will of the people, but according to an article by Jeff Jarvis, the FCC is acting on complaints by as little as three people.

THREE PEOPLE!!

And the fine that resulted from that particular complaint resulted in a record judgment of $1.2 million against FOX.

$1.2 million!

Three people!


But wait, there’s more!

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Stevens is pushing to apply broadcast decency standards to cable television.

Goodbye, "Sopranos"

Goodbye, "Sex in the City"

Goodbye, "Six Feet under"

And goodbye to all the “R” rated movies on HBO.

But there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon. Representative Bernie Sanders (I-VT) announced the introduction of legislation to prevent the government from censoring the content on popular cable T.V. shows and Internet websites.

But he can’t do it by himself. So, call your legislators and tell them to leave our televisions alone. Click here to find all of the telephone numbers and addresses you will need.

If this entry offended you, then you should have stopped reading, Dumbass!

Jurassic Park, The True Story?

Scientists Recover T. Rex Tissue

I'll buy a ticket!

Who's with me?

Oh yeah, only good things can come of this.

Jeb is requesting custody of Terry Schiavo.

Read what Terry’s husband Michael thinks of all of this. Thanks to 1031 for the link.

Just a note.

I'm not sure why but I really want to see this movie.

Ah, showbiz

As I mentioned last week, I will be spending a portion of my spring break on the set of an indie film, andI have been given a job, of sorts. A majority of the film takes place in a retirement home and they need a plethora of drawings by children to adorn the walls. Well, Brian called me and asked if I had some drawings lying around (about 1,000) since I am in possession of a 7 year old. So, my daughter and I spent a portion of the weekend drawing pictures. Ah, life in show business IS glamorous.

Drop the cheeseburger!

Sometimes I hate living in California. It’s not because of home prices, the freeways, or the smog. It is because I know what the rest of the country thinks of us.

Some lady called 911 from Burger King because they didn’t make her the correct burger. Have a listen.

Madsen and Tarantino together again?

Michael Madsen, who has appeared in 2 (or 3) Tarantino movies, is talking about Quentin Tarantino’s next movie, Inglorious Bastards, a WWII flick. Madsen says, among other things, that the movie may be releaseed in two parts because there is too much to cram in to one movie. Glorious indeed.

This is why we have a system of checks and balances.

Just because politicians disagree with the Florida court system doesn’t make them right.
Congress and the Senate have passed a law, which the President signed, that turned the Schiavo case over to the federal courts. The Federal Courts said no thanks.


Judicial Branch –1
Legislative and Executlive Branch – 0

And speaking of the Executive Branch, get a sticker or shirt to show how you feel. Thanks to Brain’s Blog for the link.

I guess Satan got jealous.

We have all heard the stories about Jesus appearing on a mud flap or the Virgin Mary showing up on a piece of buttered toast. Well, the prince of darkness is making a special appearance in Michigantown, Indiana.

Rituals

Every night I check the lock on her bedroom window. Every night. I usually do it after the girls are asleep; my wife and my daughter. I have always been a perimeter checker, before bed I check all of the doors. But now, that she is here, I check windows too.

There are stories, out there. Bad ones. Parents get up in the morning and their child is gone. I can’t remember if I checked her window as religiously before these stories became so prolific. I’d like to think so. These parents, did they do a perimeter check? Did they check windows? I am not asking because I feel that they are at blame. I am asking because I want to know if there is something else I need to do, something that I am not thinking of.

Did our parents have it this bad? We have all seen the movies and commercials where the doting parents look in upon their sleeping child through a partially open door by the light in the hallway. I guess at one time this was enough, just knowing that your kids were in bed.

But in today’s world where monsters live next door, I don’t know if anything can be enough.

Well, I never intended for this blog to get political but . . .

The recent developments in Florida have been bothering me. As a parent, I will raise my daughter to the best of my ability. I will live by example and try to instill those values that I live by. That being said, I already realize that my 7 year old daughter is a living, breathing, thinking person. But even at this tender age she is already developing her own ideas and values based on her life spent away from us. And, someday she will leave the nest and further develop her individual values and ideals.

I am sure that Terri Schiavo's parents tried to instill values in their daughter, but she is not a cookie cutter mold of them. I truly believe that Terri told her husband that if anything ever happened she would not want to live like that.

My parents are very religious, my wife and I are not. I do not want a church burial; I want to be cremated and my ashes scattered. I also do not want to live in a vegetative state. My wife knows my wishes and has promised to carry them out. My parents have different values and ideals and would probably disagree with me. I say probably because I have not discussed it with them, as I am sure that Terri did not discuss her wishes with her parents. She made a pact with her husband and that was good enough for her.

People are arguing that if those were her wishes then why didn’t she put it in writing. Why should she have to? The laws of her state say that her husband has the final say. She believed that her husband would be able to carry out her wishes because the law says he could.

But, that is not the case, now is it? Governor Bush, Congress, and President Bush are now trying to override the very law that protected Terri. And, according to today’s news, they are taking the cowards’ way out. Knowing that they will not have the unanimous vote needed to create a new law, they have decided to have the vote at 12:01 a.m. when the law states that a unanimous vote is note required. Cowards.

I will leave you with a final question before I sign off: Why is Michael Schiavo so willing to end his wife’s life?

Before you answer, remember Terri’s parents have told Michael that he can walk away and they will care for her. He has also been offered $1,000,000 by a San Diego businessman to walk away. Still, he refuses. Why? Because he knows that Terri would not, does not, want to live her life this way.

What ever happened to. . .?

Does anyone know what ever happened to From Query to Sale or its mysterious author?

I used to read the site religiously and then he vanished. My hope is that he went on to bigger and better things and just doesn’t have time to write because he is so busy. If any one knows, drop me a line.

This one, not so much.

I found this game over at the blog of TEN THIRTY-ONE PRODUCTIONS. So, think of him when you slowly slip into madness.

Go ahead, get out your aggressions

I found a cool little game over at Piercing Wit . You get to beat the crap out a little guy and get paid for it! Try it , but you better pack a lunch.

Quiet on the set!

Oh happy days. I will be off for spring break in two weeks. (You gotta love teaching!) What makes it better is the fact that my buddy Brian will be producing an independent movie and I get to spend a few days on the set.

It’s actually a cool set-up; he and another guy are both making a film and they will shoot them back-to-back and produce each other’s film. Brian and I go back a ways and I wrote my first screenplay with him. I also produced and appeared in it. ( I really can’t use the word “acted.”)

I have always admired Brian for following his dream of becoming a filmmaker and this will be his 6th or seventh feature film. And if that isn’t enough for you, he is also in a band. He’s such a go-getter.

It’s about damn time!

Don’t get me wrong, I love teaching, but it is hard living the PC lifestyle at home and having to work in the Mac world. The most difficult thing is Apple’s uni-button mouse.

Well, word is coming down the pike that Apple is developing a 2-button mouse.

I am from the right/left button world and it took me a whole stinkin’ year to realize that control + mouse was the same as the right mouse button.

Now, I must admit that I have grown to like the Mac, but I am far from becoming a convert but this whole 2-button mouse thing may push me over the edge.

Where did you say you went to school?

Actually, I haven’t.

Told you, that is.

I went to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona where I earned a degree in English with an emphasis in education. Polytechnic, for those of you who don’t know means learn by doing. This, again, is what this blog is for.

I am currently enrolled in the DVD Bonus Material, Filmmaker’s Commentary School of Film. That is, to say, that I watch DVD’s, over and over again. I watch them and listen to the different commentaries so that I can learn a thing or two about a thing or two. Some commentaries are horrible but, for the most part, they are very informative.

I also read. There are some great books and websites out there to help filmmakers. I was actually stuck on my current script when I found John Rogers’ blog . He has some great ideas about screenwriting.

Finally, I write. I write everyday, either here, on paper, or I work on screenplays.

Thanks for askin’.

Mc’scuse me?

So, I hear that McDonalds is going to outsource their drive-thru window. Really? There are few things that are more annoying than phone trees. You know, push 1 for English, dos por Espanol.

I have called companies where you never get a human and when you do they are not even in the same state as the last human you talked to.

Now it seems that the Golden Arches are going to utilize out-of-state call centers to run their drive-thru windows. So what, you say? Are you dead inside? Why can’t I talk to the person in front of me? Or on the other end of the phone for that matter?

McDonalds claims that this will improve quality control and wait time, isn’t the drive-thru window a promotion? Are you telling me that the top of the food chain at McDonalds can’t get my order right? What’s next? Is this the end to all human contact? I can see a day when we will walk into McDonalds and press a button to order our food. We won’t even see a person in the restaurant (and I use that term loosely).

Now, I realize that most people will not care about this as long as their fries are hot but I say that we must stand up for human interaction!

That’s all. I’ll put the soapbox away.

Here We Go

Well, here we are. I have always wanted to be a writer. I have pages of stories that I want to tell. I have started books and screenplays. I say "started" because I have yet to finish one. And that is where this blog comes in. This blog is more for me than you (sorry). It is like a journal--only girls keep diaries. I am writing this to kick myself in the butt. Some witty chap once said that the hardest part of being a writer is all the paperwork. I now know what he means.

I am currently working on a screenplay that has been a work in progress for about three years. I have been a full-time husband, parent, student and employee. Well, school is done, which leaves some time to write. I will write here to track my progress.

So, if you are reading this, you either wandered over here by accident or I have actually finished something and am looking for an agent.

Either way, enjoy.