John's Blog

Fun Fact!

Did you know... I used to blog daily? 

Back 2 Bassics

Recently, I picked up a white Fender Precision Bass with a maple neck.  Today, I finally received a black pickguard in the mail and got it installed.  So, at last, I am able to play mediocre bass with the same visual stylings that I normally reserve for playing mediocre video game bass.  That's right -- it looks just like my Rock Band bass controller.

The Senate is OK with really high credit card rates.

Our United States Senate voted today on an amendment to a bill that would have capped credit card rates at 15%.  The amendment was defeated by a vote of 33 to 60.  Of the 33 who were for capping rates, 31 were Democrats, 1 an Independent, and 1 a Republican.  In fact, all but 2 Senate Republicans voted against this measure.

This doesn't directly effect me since I stopped carrying a credit card balance after I got out of college, got a job, and got a little perspective.  But, my point is, charging people ridiculously high credit card interest is not productive.  I feel that the banks are taking advantage of people -- particularly those who aren't doing well financially as it is.

Unfortunately, two of the votes against this measure were Nebraska's Senators Nelson and Johanns.  I think I may drop them each a little note, letting them now that they're a disappointment to our state.  Errr, respectfully though.  It's (literally) the least I can do.  You can see how your fav Senator voted on the Senate's website.

My muse took a vacation

So, Script Frenzy....  About that....  I got 40 pages done a week or so ago, and I took a break.  Spending several hours every day after work typing away at the coffeeshop, well, it's fun for awhile.  But I got burned out.  It's nice to do something else after work for a change.  Or, you know, some days it's nice just to do nothing. 

I can't say I ever had much of a notion that I wanted to write a screenplay.  To write a novel -- now that always struck me as an impressive feat.  But a screenplay?  It never had occurred to me.  Maybe I shall finish it up sometime.  But not in the next few days.

In unrelated news, I just set up a printer I purchased a year and a half ago.  The only reason I purchased it was that it came as a deal with a computer I was buying.  Anyway, I finally felt the need to set it up, and I discovered that it wouldn't print black.  The brand new (18 month old) ink cartridge didn't work. 

I did a little googling and found someone talking about taking a shop-vac to their print cartridges to get them running.  It sounded a bit absurd (and messy.)  Anyway, I put a paper towel over the cartridge and applied some suction from my vacuum cleaner's accessory hose, and....  what do you know.  It got the ink flowing. 

Maybe that's an old trick, but it's been a few years since I actually had an ink jet connected to my computer, so it was new to me.  I'm glad it worked.

Everyday Apocalypse -- Script Frenzy rolls on

So, Script Frenzy continues.  I find that, paradoxically, the weekend (which started on Friday for me) has perhaps hurt my productivity rather than helped it.  At least at first.  I was just getting into the groove of running to Starbucks after work and spending a couple hours hashing out a few pages on my laptop.  And now my weekday schedule is interrupted by too much free time.

But I feel like I'm finding the groove again.  The important thing is to keep writing.  I find it gratifying to log into the Script Frenzy site and bump up my page count -- even if it's just by one page. 

I just hit page 18.  So I've got 82% of my screenplay yet before me.  Including today, there are 19 days left.  So I now need to average over 4 pages a day.  Did I mention that there really isn't that much writing on a single page of a screenplay?

It's very early Easter Sunday morning as I write this blog post.  I need to drive to Lincoln in the morning to visit family.  I was just getting to a funny bit in my script... maybe I'll just add a few more lines...

Script Frenzy

It is April.  Script Frenzy month.  Brought to you by the National Novel-Writing Month folks. 

I wasn't immediately excited about it, but as I thought about it I said, "hey, why not?  Why not write a 100 page screenplay in April?  Why the heck not?"  Sky seems enthused to be doing it.

So, the month is already a week in and I've only got 7 pages written.  But, you know what, I'm feeling A-OK about it.  You see, I'm using this nice (and free!) script-writing software called Celtx that formats your script appropriately.  (I sure didn't know anything about formatting screenplays before this.)  As it turns out, 1 page of screenplay actually has very few words on it.  100 pages by the end of the month does not sound so bad.  In fact, it sounds much, much easier than the 50,000 words you're expected to write during National Novel-Writing Month.

You can track my progress on the Script Frenzy website, if you're so inclined.  I'm hoping to make up for lost time this coming weekend.  All I'm going to say about my screenplay right now is that my working title is Everyday Apocalypse, and I imagine the ideal actor to play the protagonist is Paul Giamatti.

Your Answers Are Confidential

I found a small flier in my door on Monday.  It was titled, "Your Answers Are Confidential," and explained how I am legally required to provide information for the U.S. Census, and how I can trust that this information will remain private for 72 years.  Frankly, it seemed so odd, I was just certain that there must have been a census form that was with it that must have blown away.  Only problem is, the census doesn't start until next year.

It turns out, workers just began canvassing neighborhoods across the country in an effort to make sure they hit them all a second time next year (when the census is actually performed.)  And apparently they're leaving fliers.  The fliers don't tell you when or how the census will actually take place, but take it from me: it's not until next year, and it should probably be coming in the mail.

Are you there Blogosphere? It's me, John

Long time, no blog.

You know, funny thing.  After my last post where I was making fun of how I didn't Wii Fit regularly....  my Wii stopped reading game discs.  Like just three days later. 

In things-that-are-awesome news, I haven't posted here since Obama became President.  I think I was afraid I'd just gloat.  OK, so, let me just say this.  What I found the most refreshing in the days after the inauguration was seeing leaders of foreign countries on the tv, and they sounded (dare I say it) hopeful about their relationship with our country.   

That was a long eight years.

So, word on the street is that the economy is in the basement these days.  I decided to fight back by joining Costco.  Or... I guess that's fighting back.  I don't know.  I paid them for the privilege of being able to buy stuff from their store.  Like bulk chewing gum.  Bulk microwave popcorn.  Bulk soup.  And professional massage tables.*  Also, if you're a member you can buy gas from them (which looks to be slightly cheaper than the gas stations I've been frequenting.)

In other penny-pinching news, this is going to be the week I finally cancel my home phone.  I've got a nice cell phone -- I don't need the old landline anymore.  Lately, having a home phone has just been more of a pain then it's worth.  I'll get home from work and I'll find messages on my answering machine that I can't return because it was from some company and business hours are over.  Or I'll have messages from telemarketers who don't care that I'm on the federal do-not-call list.  I just don't really see the use for it anymore.  And when you add in the fancy call features I'm paying for (like "selective call rejection" to block some of those aforementioned telemarketers) I've been spending $40 a month for my home phone service.  Do you know how much bulk chewing gum that will buy?

*I didn't actually buy any professional massage tables.

Everything is going well with the Wii Fit

...but I might have gotten a little off track, say, 78 days ago.

FACT-CHECK: that Shinedown song they keep playing on 89.7 the River

You just saw Halley's Comet?  Really, Shinedown?  Just now?  You just saw Halley's Comet?  When did you write this song?  1986?