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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! 
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I'm slowly managing to take care of all the things on my plate. Writing, reviewing, work, planning a vacation... earlier this week, there were a hundred and one things on my to-do list. Now, there's only about twenty, but I feel like I can breathe again. I like being busy and multitasking, but sometimes the list of things I have to take care of can be downright stifling sometimes. Thankfully, I think I'm headed into another stretch of smooth sailing. That is, until I volunteer for more stuff. 
By the way, that series protagonist challenge is still wide open (see earlier blog entry). No one's responded yet, so with just a little bit of literary background (or a few minutes on Wikipedia), that Attention To Detail Merit Badge can be yours! 
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I'm a big fan of milestones. I like the feeling of hitting a mark, setting a record, or surpassing a tier or plateau, even when it's an arbitrary one. I like specific, significant numbers (especially round ones or those with symbolic importance). Does this make me a little OCD, a little anal retentive? Probably. But this blog entry isn't about my personal issues. 
It's about the fact that tonight, I completed my 2,000th WDC review. I know that pales in comparison to some reviewers (I've seen users with 15,000+ reviews), but I feel pretty proud of myself right now. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, it's a meaningless number, and no more important than my 1,500th review, or my 2,252nd review will be... but something about 2,000 had a nice ring to it. A significance of some kind, however small.
So yeah, 2,000 WDC reviews tonight. I suppose the other side of this coin is that accomplishment as it may be, it could also be an indicator that I spend WAY too much time on Writing.Com.
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I'm feeling a bit nostalgic tonight. A conversation about old television shows got me thinking about all the different TV shows that I've watched - some more than others - over the years. So tonight I offer this simple challenge. I'll give an Entertainment Merit Badge to the first person who responds (post as a blog comment) with ten or more correct answers. That's right, you've got two freebies.
All you have to do is tell me what past show each catchphrase is from:
1. "Denny Crane!"
2. "How you doin'?"
3. "Homey don't play that!"
4. "The truth is out there."
5. "I'm Rick James, bitch!"
6. "No soup for you!"
7. "How rude!"
8. "And I would have gotten away with it too, If it weren't for you meddling kids!"
9. "Did I do that?"
10. "Norm!"
11. "I've made a huge mistake."
12. "Spoon!"
Good luck!
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This is the fourth computer I've had, where iTunes simply won't burn a CD. Sometimes iTunes doesn't like the particular brand of CD I use. Sometimes it doesn't like the drivers for my CD drive. Sometimes it starts burning a CD, then unexpectedly quits. Sometimes it won't recognize a blank disc when it's in the drive. Is it too much to ask that iTunes, like 99% of the other CD-burning software out there, actually be able to burn a disc when I want it to? The other CD-burning programs on my computer seem to do just fine with it. Gah. 
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I just finished one of the most extraordinary books I've read in a long time. I've read some great books lately, most notably Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Simon Winchester's The Professor and the Madman, and Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself, but tonight (or this morning, as it turns out ) I finished one of those books that I just couldn't put down because it was such an extraordinary piece of writing.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon is a novel about a fifteen year old boy with autism who investigates the murder of his neighbor's dog and, as a result, also stumbles across a secret about his dead mother. What makes this book particularly brilliant is that the story is told in the first person, from the boy's point of view. As a result, not only is it an intriguing murder mystery and compelling family drama, but it's also a thoroughly-researched and remarkably detailed account of how the autistic mind processes information, and what the challenges those with the disorder face on a daily basis.
I can't say enough good things about this book. It was simply unforgettable. Insightful, funny, and touching.
I highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys mysteries, heartbreaking family drama, and empathetic protagonists that give us a different view of the world.
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I'm getting really sick of these election campaign ads. What's particularly driving me up the wall at the moment are the candidates who say things like, "I'm a successful businessperson and not just another politician. I don't need money from special interests." I'm sorry, wasn't that the Governator's whole platform when he was running? And that's worked out real well for us, with him stripping funding away from the education budget and other public works that he's never had a need to use. It's also driving me nuts that so many conservative candidates are jumping behind the new Arizona immigration law and saying they're going to close down the borders and kick all the immigrants out of California. Uh, first, governors don't have jurisdiction over federal borders. Second, I'm not sure if anyone's told them this, but California is more than 36% Hispanic/Latino. Alienating 1/3 of the voter base? 
Worst of all, I'm sick of the fact that no one is actually proposing any solutions. Republicans are blaming "the liberal Democrat bureaucracy" and Democrats are blaming the "out of touch conservatives who are standing in the way of progress." Everyone's quick to point fingers and claim that they will be the ones to turn things around... but I have yet to hear one legitimate proposal. Illegal immigration didn't cause the recession. Liberal or conservative policymakers didn't cause the recession. How about giving people some real solutions they can consider?
Sorry, don't mean to get all political. I actually love politics, am fascinated by the process, and take my civic duty seriously. I just wish we could get a better bunch of candidates, who were more interested in actually fixing problems than slinging mud and pointing fingers. 
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It's officially off and running. I'm particularly excited about this activity; I love the single-elimination format, and the different types of writing will be fun to judge. Man, I wish I could compete too! I'll be interested to hear from those of you who are participating how you're liking it... it's definitely something different than I've seen anywhere else. I guess whether it'll be a success or failure remains to be seen. |
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When it comes to my job, I've been through the Stages of Grief. Denial was pretty short lived... I think that was over before I left the meeting where I got canned. Anger lasted a wee bit longer, Bargaining came and went, and Depression has probably lasted the longest of any of them. Depression at not having a full-time job, depression at not being able to find a job and the terrible economy, depression at seeing my education and years of work experience and achievement met with, "Yeah, but all that is just not enough," from employers who can pick and choose from a workforce with 12% unemployment. It's been a tough road over the past seven months, but I think I've finally moved into the Acceptance phase, and can put everything in perspective.
One of the things that's been the hardest to accept is that I might have to find a job in another industry. The film industry, quite honestly, is just a horrible place to be right now. Even though it's posting record profits (as it always does in a recession), the studios are owned by parent companies now. So even though NBC Universal is in the black, General Electric is still in the red, which means that layoffs and cost cutting still reach NBC Universal. "Hey, that's great that you made $100 million in profits last year. We're $500 million down, so we'll just say thanks for the effort, but we still need to save $400 million. Start firing people." 
Anyway, as I've thought about it and the wife and I have discussed our options, we're considering a whole range of possibilities that we haven't considered before. Maybe living in a different city, or a different state entirely. We were both born and raised in California, so the idea of starting fresh somewhere else does have some appeal. We love the Pacific Northwest; who knows where we'll end up. She still has to clear her teaching credential, so we're talking at least a year off... but the possibility is somewhat exciting.
But since there's no real film industry outside Los Angeles (and San Francisco and New York), it's forced me to start thinking about what I would want to do for a living if I weren't working in film production. If I wanted to stay in the same general field, I could do commercials. Or if I wanted a more writing-centric job, I've considered copywriting and speechwriting. Ultimately, I think what would really make me happy is to explore my love of entrepreneurship and start my own company... but that may be a few years off, unless any of my loyal readers have a few million dollars they could spot me for startup costs.
I'm rambling now, but for those of you still reading, the point of all this is to say that I'm okay with being laid off. It has been nice to have some time to myself during the day, and I think the time off has been good for me; it's helped me realize that the world doesn't revolve around a job in this industry. It will be hard to see all those years of experience and education derailed if I change tracks... but now that I think about it... how many people haven't had a twist or turn in their professional careers at some point? How many people are still working in the same field as their college degree? I should be fortunate that I have so many varied interests, and could see myself being happy doing any of a number of jobs (as long as there's minimal math or science involved!).
When I met a friend of mine for coffee last week, she said, "You might not realize it now, but things could be worse than being unemployed at your age. You're old enough that you've got an education and experience under you, but still young enough to change your career for the right opportunity. Just think if you were fighting for entry level jobs or had twenty years of experience and were facing a career change."
I guess she has a point.
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It's a given that, living in a city, there's a lot more crime than other places. So it's not unusual to hear a story about a murder or a kidnapping, or a robbery in the news. (Sad, but that's another blog.) But every once in a while, there's a story so bizarre, so completely out there, that you can't help but take notice. It's a tragedy when anyone loses their life, but I couldn't help but be drawn in by the title of this story:
Porn Actor Goes On Samurai Rampage In Van Nuys 
Wow. I just don't know what to say about that...
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