Having a psychic day today. Just hoping I'm as cracked as most of the other psychics in the world and this is nothing more than depression and cynicism playing games with my head.
Just have an overwhelming sense of dread and a seeming-certainty that something bad is about to happen. Be it here in my own little world or something bigger, more global. Don't take this the wrong way. Well, for what I'm about to say there's no other way to take it than the wrong way. I'm hoping it's the latter of the two.
If the world's about to fall into some post-Apocalyptic James Cameron battle zone, I'm more game for that than I am losing my job or a personal tragedy. In fact, I think the occasion to rise up against tyrannical corporate governments and ravenous mutants is the world in which I will shine brightest. It's clear to me I stand a better chance against monsters and murderous machines than I do cubicles and Corporate America.
That said, there's a good chance I'm just having a bad day.
Speaking of monsters I spent some quality time at Starbucks reading my book about Warren Zevon. I mean no disrespect. There are plenty of his closest friends and family referring to him in much worse terms in there. And besides, much like the demon Catch in Christopher Moore's first novel, Practical Demonkeeping, I like to think of Warren as a loveable monster. You could probably make a similar Sesame Street / Muppet reference there too, but I don't know. I don't think Warren ever went that far the other way in his monsterous ways. Not to mention if I did choose to lump him in with the likes of Elmo, he'd probably come back from the great beyond to sock me in the nose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Practical_Demonkeeping
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Go Shorty . . .
So, here you are again, July 29th. You've been coming around for 34 years now. I mean, sure, you've probably been an annual visitor for much longer than that, but I can only measure time in the time I've been on this rock.
I have such mixed feelings about my birthday. As was pointed out to me, I get very reflective on my birthday. Pensive, if you will. No, not that bowl that Harry Potter dunks his face in to see other people's milky white memories. I believe that's a Pensieve. (Geek check!)
I think, especially as an adult, that's what birthdays are mostly for. I don't need parties. Presents are nice but not required. A cup of coffee makes me happy. Anything that I really desire at this point can not be wrapped in brightly colored paper and bows anyway. (Well, I suppose a creative publisher or producer could send a contract in crepe paper or tied with a ribbon.)
At this stage of life (God I make it sound so old), I'm looking for a combination of personal happiness, professional fulfillment, and overall security for my family. Not so crazy, right? Yet why does it feel so hard to attain all three???
This morning as I was walking to the car it occurred to me last night was the Mega Millions drawing. Sometimes on Tuesday nights I'll stop and buy 3 quick picks for shits and giggles. As the old commercials used to sing, "somebody's gonna Lotto, might as well be you."
I know I've got a better chance of being bitten by a radioactive spider and developing web-slinging super powers than winning, but what the hell? No harm in trying. However this morning I rememebered I hadn't bought a ticket. That realization was quickly followed by the one that said, "I would love to have money, but I'd much rather earn it than win it."
And I wasn't trying to comfort myself. I really felt it. Meant it. I aspire to be the "father of the feast" for not just my wife and kid, but all my family and loved ones. A great personal hero of mine is a man who has done well in this world and has shared it with many. I admit, in a way that selfless giving isn't so selfless. I suspect if gives him pleasure and sense of accomplishment, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I dream of being that "self-serving."
But I don't want it to come from a fluke. I want to be able to say, "all this came from me. From my efforts. From my talents. I did this."
If the fates are listening, don't get me wrong. If you want to hook me up this Friday night with those six magic ping-pong balls, by all means! I won't be offended!
But if you just want to send the right connection at the right time, and if possible send them sooner than later, I would truly be appreciative and eternally grateful.
There's a great Jimmy Buffett song that he released a couple years ago with Martina McBride shortly after the Five O'Clock Somewhere phenomenon called Trip Around the Sun.
It's a birthday song. It's about aging and reflecting and weighing your efforts so far. Ultimately the song is saying that there's no point in doing so because you won't know what it was worth til it's over. So just hang on and enjoy the ride.
I love the song. Love the message. But sadly I can't adhere to it. I will spend my life living in hope (and hopefully not dying in despair) that one of these days I'm going to crack it. That said, I now listen to it a few times ever year on this day. Check it out:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/jimmy-buffett-trip-around-the-sun-featuring-martina-mcbride/122258012
I have such mixed feelings about my birthday. As was pointed out to me, I get very reflective on my birthday. Pensive, if you will. No, not that bowl that Harry Potter dunks his face in to see other people's milky white memories. I believe that's a Pensieve. (Geek check!)
I think, especially as an adult, that's what birthdays are mostly for. I don't need parties. Presents are nice but not required. A cup of coffee makes me happy. Anything that I really desire at this point can not be wrapped in brightly colored paper and bows anyway. (Well, I suppose a creative publisher or producer could send a contract in crepe paper or tied with a ribbon.)
At this stage of life (God I make it sound so old), I'm looking for a combination of personal happiness, professional fulfillment, and overall security for my family. Not so crazy, right? Yet why does it feel so hard to attain all three???
This morning as I was walking to the car it occurred to me last night was the Mega Millions drawing. Sometimes on Tuesday nights I'll stop and buy 3 quick picks for shits and giggles. As the old commercials used to sing, "somebody's gonna Lotto, might as well be you."
I know I've got a better chance of being bitten by a radioactive spider and developing web-slinging super powers than winning, but what the hell? No harm in trying. However this morning I rememebered I hadn't bought a ticket. That realization was quickly followed by the one that said, "I would love to have money, but I'd much rather earn it than win it."
And I wasn't trying to comfort myself. I really felt it. Meant it. I aspire to be the "father of the feast" for not just my wife and kid, but all my family and loved ones. A great personal hero of mine is a man who has done well in this world and has shared it with many. I admit, in a way that selfless giving isn't so selfless. I suspect if gives him pleasure and sense of accomplishment, and I don't think that's a bad thing. I dream of being that "self-serving."
But I don't want it to come from a fluke. I want to be able to say, "all this came from me. From my efforts. From my talents. I did this."
If the fates are listening, don't get me wrong. If you want to hook me up this Friday night with those six magic ping-pong balls, by all means! I won't be offended!
But if you just want to send the right connection at the right time, and if possible send them sooner than later, I would truly be appreciative and eternally grateful.
There's a great Jimmy Buffett song that he released a couple years ago with Martina McBride shortly after the Five O'Clock Somewhere phenomenon called Trip Around the Sun.
It's a birthday song. It's about aging and reflecting and weighing your efforts so far. Ultimately the song is saying that there's no point in doing so because you won't know what it was worth til it's over. So just hang on and enjoy the ride.
I love the song. Love the message. But sadly I can't adhere to it. I will spend my life living in hope (and hopefully not dying in despair) that one of these days I'm going to crack it. That said, I now listen to it a few times ever year on this day. Check it out:
http://video.aol.com/video-detail/jimmy-buffett-trip-around-the-sun-featuring-martina-mcbride/122258012
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
The Architects of Fear, Aliens, and Cybernetic Werewolves
Lately I've been trying to be a little more aware of the route my train of thought follows. Though I assure you it has more bends, tunnels, and bridges than the island of Sodor. It can be very difficult to keep up.
For instance the name Lazar Wolf just popped into my head. Why? Subconsciously maybe I saw the add for Topol's farewell tour in Fiddler on the Roof. But in truth, what I was thinking replace one vowel and you've got a sweet super hero. Lazer Wolf! A government created cybernetic werewolf soldier who chooses to run rather than be used as a weapon. I'm copyrighting that by the way!
For about a week now I've been obsessed with an old episode of The Outer Limits (as if there was a new one to be obsessesd with) entitled The Architects of Fear. It is a pretty well known episode from the series. Perhaps finally seeing Watchmen is what made me think of it. If you're familiar with both you'll understand the connection. As the kids say, spoiler alert!
In Architects, a group of scientists decide that the world is on inevitable slide into nuclear Armageddon. Remember this was the early 60's; the days of the Bay of Pigs and Civil Defense. Kids in school were being instructed to crawl under their desks, put their heads between their legs, and kiss their asses goodbye. The leader of the group hypothesises that the only way the different super powers of the world will stop fighting amongst themselves, is to galvanize them against an single foreign enemy. So this secretive group in a shadowy conference room hatches a scheme to turn one of their own into an alien adversary. Personally, I'd have suggested the Dutch.
Of course the experiment fails. The chosen mutant becomes deranged in the process and is ultimately shot down by the most nonplussed trio of duck hunters to ever encounter an alien attacker. If only Elmer Fudd could have ended Independence Day in the first 20 minutes, instead of waiting for Will Smith to do it in 2 hours. "Welcome to Earth. Heh-heh-heh-heh!"
The special effects are beyond dated (less special like "high-tech" and "cutting-edge", more like "helmet at the dinner table") and the acting terribly overdone. That said, it's a great episode and hits just the right tone of creepiness to linger in your brain for a while. I've heard Kevin Smith tell a story of how, after Mallrats he was offered to rework a couple scripts Warner Brothers was considering making, one of which was to be a feature film remake of Architects. While I am the first to say Hollywood is currently remake crazy, I think that idea had and still has some merit.
Many years ago I started outlining a story for a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake, as well as its sequel, The Creature Walks Among Us. Then of course The Mummy was released and shortly after Universal announced they'd be remaking Creature themselves. It hasn't happened yet, but now and then rumors of its "re-greenlighting" spring up. I still wonder if I should write it anyway, just for my own jollies. I think I had an interesting take on it and the monster's origins. And I love sketching out my designs for an updated creature.
I've been working on concepts for a current version of the mutant-alien on my notepad at work the last few days. Yeah that's right . . . hard at work.
The entire episode of The Architects of Fear can be viewed on HULU, if you can stand a couple Ford commercials scattered throughout.
I'm hungry. Where's my helmet?
For instance the name Lazar Wolf just popped into my head. Why? Subconsciously maybe I saw the add for Topol's farewell tour in Fiddler on the Roof. But in truth, what I was thinking replace one vowel and you've got a sweet super hero. Lazer Wolf! A government created cybernetic werewolf soldier who chooses to run rather than be used as a weapon. I'm copyrighting that by the way!
For about a week now I've been obsessed with an old episode of The Outer Limits (as if there was a new one to be obsessesd with) entitled The Architects of Fear. It is a pretty well known episode from the series. Perhaps finally seeing Watchmen is what made me think of it. If you're familiar with both you'll understand the connection. As the kids say, spoiler alert!
In Architects, a group of scientists decide that the world is on inevitable slide into nuclear Armageddon. Remember this was the early 60's; the days of the Bay of Pigs and Civil Defense. Kids in school were being instructed to crawl under their desks, put their heads between their legs, and kiss their asses goodbye. The leader of the group hypothesises that the only way the different super powers of the world will stop fighting amongst themselves, is to galvanize them against an single foreign enemy. So this secretive group in a shadowy conference room hatches a scheme to turn one of their own into an alien adversary. Personally, I'd have suggested the Dutch.
Of course the experiment fails. The chosen mutant becomes deranged in the process and is ultimately shot down by the most nonplussed trio of duck hunters to ever encounter an alien attacker. If only Elmer Fudd could have ended Independence Day in the first 20 minutes, instead of waiting for Will Smith to do it in 2 hours. "Welcome to Earth. Heh-heh-heh-heh!"
The special effects are beyond dated (less special like "high-tech" and "cutting-edge", more like "helmet at the dinner table") and the acting terribly overdone. That said, it's a great episode and hits just the right tone of creepiness to linger in your brain for a while. I've heard Kevin Smith tell a story of how, after Mallrats he was offered to rework a couple scripts Warner Brothers was considering making, one of which was to be a feature film remake of Architects. While I am the first to say Hollywood is currently remake crazy, I think that idea had and still has some merit.
Many years ago I started outlining a story for a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake, as well as its sequel, The Creature Walks Among Us. Then of course The Mummy was released and shortly after Universal announced they'd be remaking Creature themselves. It hasn't happened yet, but now and then rumors of its "re-greenlighting" spring up. I still wonder if I should write it anyway, just for my own jollies. I think I had an interesting take on it and the monster's origins. And I love sketching out my designs for an updated creature.
I've been working on concepts for a current version of the mutant-alien on my notepad at work the last few days. Yeah that's right . . . hard at work.
The entire episode of The Architects of Fear can be viewed on HULU, if you can stand a couple Ford commercials scattered throughout.
I'm hungry. Where's my helmet?
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