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About This Author
I am SoCalScribe. This is my InkSpot.
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Blogocentric Formulations
Logocentric (adj). Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
Thanks for stopping by! 
January 31, 2010 at 3:32am January 31, 2010 at 3:32am
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Just saw Penelope with Christina Ricci and James McAvoy tonight. I really enjoyed it... kind of off-beat and unique, but fun and entertaining and touching all at the same time. Great performances from Christina Ricci and Catherine O'Hara as her mother. It's a romantic/fantasy/fairytale story about a cursed girl born with a pig's snout who repulses everyone and yet has to find love to get rid of the curse. Apparently it was on the shelf for a few years and enjoyed a limited theatrical release before making it to home video and subsequently my Netflix Instant disc, but if you're looking for a feel good kind of movie, this ain't a bad way to go. |
January 29, 2010 at 2:16pm January 29, 2010 at 2:16pm
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I love tennis. It is, by far, my favorite sport to watch. Actually, come to think of it, it's one of the only sports I like to watch. There's an incredible amount of athleticism and finesse required to excel... and perhaps more than any other sport, there's such a diverse set of styles that can be employed to win a match. Some players rely on a power game, utilizing big serves and powerful groundstrokes to overwhelm their opponents, while others rely on accuracy, angles, or a combination of both baseline and net approaches to put the ball firmly out of play for their opponents. There is no one way to win a tennis match, which is what makes it so fascinating to see different players compete against one another.
My favorite player has to be Roger Federer. To me, he epitomizes a champion in every sense of the word. He loves the sport and is a gracious and humble winner, despite having set nearly every record worth setting. More than anything, his form is impeccable and showcases all of the grace and power than tennis can possibly be. Watching him play is what made me love tennis in the first place. So naturally, I want him to keep winning and keep doing well.
But there are plenty of other talented players who are accomplished in their own right, or just beginning to come into their own. One of them is Andy Murray, an extremely talented all-around player who has never won a Grand Slam. Murray's young, tough, and it's only a matter of time before he has the major titles to go with his talent.
With Federer and Murray contesting this year's Australian Open men's final, it's an ideal match for me in many ways. I'm of course rooting for Federer to win and continue to do well, but part of me is also hoping that Andy Murray finally gets that maiden Grand Slam title that he's been working toward. In order to do that, he's going to have to beat the best... which is exactly how it should be. Come Sunday (or Saturday night for us in the States), it's sure to be a great final... because either way, I'm going to be happy for the winner.
Yes, I am a tennis addict.
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January 25, 2010 at 7:40pm January 25, 2010 at 7:40pm
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At the time, it didn't seem like that much work. I actually like being busy and having plenty to do, so I figured it wouldn't be a big deal. I'd somehow get it all done and everything would be great. Well, I'm feeling the effects now. Forum/activity design is hard, hard work when you're making more than one at a time, and finding the time to judge/review entries to the best of your ability is tough too. Now I'm thinking that maybe it wasn't the best idea to slate the UENG winter activity series alongside my new Rising Stars fundraiser, the two contests I'm running, and the UENG newsletter itself, all while the Talent Pond's winter activity series is going on.
Next time, I think I might need to space things out a little bit. I love my work here at WDC, and I absolutely will NOT let anyone down that I've already made commitments to... but heck if I'm not exhausted right now.  |
January 22, 2010 at 3:10am January 22, 2010 at 3:10am
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It's that time of year again; the development executives and agents in town pack up their ski jackets and scarves so they can head to Park City, Utah and split a three-bedroom condo nine ways... all for the privilege of attending screenings and rubbing elbows at the Sundance Film Festival. Some will come back with recommendations of movies to buy or meetings to take with standout filmmakers, but most will come back to sunny Southern California with nothing but stories of parties and dinners and meet and greets.
This year, the other three guys at the company I'm consulting for are going, leaving me alone in the office (or working from home, if I have my way!) to keep things running smoothly. Truth be told, although I'd love to go to Sundance just for the experience, I'm not too sad about missing it this year. I'm a production executive with no current production... and with no production, I would just be up there to schmooze.
Although California weather ain't much better these days (I love the rain!), I think I'll stay in Los Angeles, content in the knowledge that not only am I staying relatively warm and sleeping on my own bed rather than the floor of an overcrowded cabin... and that when I do make it to Sundance, it will be with a film of my own.
See you soon, Park City. Maybe not this year and maybe not the next... but one day soon.
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January 18, 2010 at 1:05am January 18, 2010 at 1:05am
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On February 15th, I will have officially been a member of WDC for seven years. While I haven't always been as active as I've been in the last few, I still can't believe it's been that long. Seems like only yesterday that I first signed up for a free membership and had only two short stories in my port, and pretty much no idea of all the wonderful things this site had to offer.
Today, more than half a decade later, I'm running two groups, writing a weekly erotica newsletter, hosting and donating to fundraisers and contests, and I most recently became a staff member of both The Talent Pond and Rising Stars. I have over a hundred short stories in my portfolio and, thanks to the support of the friends I've made on this site, have competed in the last two NaNoWriMos, finishing my first novel last year (something I never thought I'd be able to do).
More than anything, I value the friendships I've made here. Although this is not by any means a comprehensive list, I consider Brooke  , JACE  , Adriana Noir  , Mara ♣ McBain  , amethystflame, Coolhand , GabriellaR45 , Shannon  , Annette  , M. R. K , sarahreed, and aszreal to be some of the best friends I have in my life, both online and in person. I've never met a more supportive, generous, encouraging group of people anywhere, and I'm thankful every day for them.
In a world where things don't always come up roses (like pretty much all of last year!), it's a relief to know that there's an oasis like WDC in the middle of the desert of real life. Thank you to everyone who's helped make my time on this site one of the most constructive and positive experiences I've ever had with my writing.
Thanks for the last seven years, WDC... looking forward to another seven! 
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January 7, 2010 at 11:02pm January 7, 2010 at 11:02pm
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The diagnosis for my beloved Jeep isn't good. After 14 years and almost 287,000 miles, the transmission guys called and said they found some other problems with the transmission when they were repairing the leaks. The long and short of it is that I can patch up the leaks for $800, or fix it up right for $2,000. 
After very careful consideration, we decided to just patch it up and see what happens. The other problems could manifest in a week, a month, or a year. The point is, there's now a ticking clock on the car, and it could give out at any moment. And since we can't afford the $2,000 for the repairs, we definitely can't afford to buy another car until I'm fully employed again. Besides, if we paid two grand to fix the transmission, the transmission might be "as good as new", but the rest of the car is still 14 years old and has 287,000 miles of wear and tear on them... so my new transmission that "will last for years and years" may be sitting in a car whose engine goes out in three months. 
Most of all, I'm worried about not reaching my goal of 300,000 miles. My first car was a Jeep and I hit 225,000 miles before I gave it up. I really want this one to get into the 300s... but I guess at this point, it's going to be up to fate. The wife and I are going to try carpooling a couple days a week and taking her car (no spring chicken itself at 15 years old and 178,000 miles!) for longer trips; hoping to stretch out the Jeep's life to the point where we can save up a little for the impending new car and - fingers crossed - put those last 13,000 miles on that Jeep!
At the end of the day, I'm no worse off that I was before the holidays... I drive an old, world weary vehicle that could decide to go out on me at any moment. All I really did was pay to fix the immediate transmission problems.
So why do I feel like I just put a bullet in the chamber and spun the cylinder? 
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January 6, 2010 at 11:04am January 6, 2010 at 11:04am
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The new year is only six days old, but it already seems hellbent on putting me through the ringer and seeing how I come out on the other side. So far this year I've spent $800 fixing the transmission on my car (added onto the $300 starter we replaced on my wife's car two days before Christmas), and somehow I managed to develop what the doctor tells me is an inflamed lung, for which I'm on medium-grade anti-inflammatory medication. I've got medical and car covered... all I need is some family-related drama and I think I'll have the holiday hat trick complete. 
Time to go forget my troubles by poking around WDC...
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January 5, 2010 at 2:31am January 5, 2010 at 2:31am January 2, 2010 at 3:28am January 2, 2010 at 3:28am
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The New Year always gets me into a good mood. I suppose that the first day of January isn't really any different than any other day of the year, and there's really no good reason not to make a resolution for change and start on any other day... but there's something refreshing and inspiring about a whole new year. (And in this case, a whole new decade too!) I'll go into my resolutions in greater detail for my forthcoming "Dear Me" contest entry, but this year is about progress and productivity.
One of my biggest problems in recent years has been that I always set unrealistic goals for myself. Ones that seemed at the outset to be manageable, but in retrospect set me up to fail. "I'm going to write one page a day." "I'm going to go for a run every single morning." "I'm going to finish three screenplays this year." My issue has always been motivation... and since life is fond of throwing monkey wrenches into the works, it's nearly impossible to write or exercise every single day. Some days are busy, some are cruddy, some are spent in bed sick. And when I don't do something one day, I'll say, "Okay, I didn't run yesterday, so if I don't run today, it's no big deal; I'll just run tomorrow." Then, before I know it, three weeks have gone by since the last time I went for a run.
So this year, I'm building in some wiggle room, for those days when I'm just not feeling it or just can't seem to find the time. Telling myself that I'm going to go for a run in the morning four times a week gives me three days to say, "Nah, don't feel like it" without breaking my resolution and discouraging myself. Writing at 10 screenplay pages a week ensures that I can skip days that are busy and still gives me time to cram over the weekend to meet my goal. If I can give myself goals that anticipate those off days, maybe I can keep my motivation up by not getting it in my head that I'm failing myself.
And, of course, the big resolution I made for myself this year is to stop convincing myself that thinking about writing is the same thing as writing. While some focused brainstorming counts, I'm far too prone to let my mind wander from thought to meandering thought... and then tell myself that it's technically working on my writing to think about the dozens of different stories I have in my head. My resolutions have also built in time for daydreaming... but I'm going to stop telling myself that it's a productive use of time and contributing toward my writing goals for the year. 2010 is the year that I can daydream all I want... but on top of that, I'm also going to park my butt in a chair and put words to keyboard.
I feel good about 2010. Last year - and the last several, in fact - haven't been great. I'm very fortunate in that the necessities have been and continue to be covered... but between my wife and I and various job stuff, car stuff, school stuff, family stuff, etc., these past five years or so have really been a struggle. It's a new year and a new decade... and I've got a good feeling that things are going to be on the upswing pretty soon.
I know I'm not the only one that could use a good year this year.
Here's to 2010... the year where I'm resolving to actually complete my resolutions!
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