I think there is a tendency for people to dismiss what you find based on the way you came to the material. It really should not matter. The point is you discovered something for yourself.

The “fantasy” genre of literature is something I had pretty much abandoned after high school. I also never had a good reason to return to anything within the genre except for The Lord of the Rings series. So I had not been paying attention to the genre. I am always looking for new TV series to watch and I heard reviews for HBO’s new series Game of Thrones. (I do not have cable so I have to wait for the DVD’s to hit Netflix. So when it comes to TV series especially the ones on cable I am always about 6 months to a year behind in watching them.) The series is based on the books by George R.R. Martin who is a writer I was not familiar with either. I wanted to read at least the first in the series to see how well (or maybe not) the TV series plays to the book. I was curious on how the adaptation may work. However, the DVD’s will not be available until March.

I bought the book and 800 pages of story made take pause. I have not tackled reading a book of this amount in a while. However, I made it a goal to read at least one chapter a day. Side track a moment. It is also a goal of mine to read new authors this year and tackle more from my “To Be Read” pile.

This book took about 2 ½ weeks to read. And it was so worth the time. This book is filled with very intriguing characters. Each chapter is written from the “point of view” of its various characters. There is continuity between them all. It is a long book but it rewards the reader. Every time, there was something of “cliché” moment for “fantasy” writing the author goes the other way. Then I found myself drawn in even more to the story line where it became a book that was hard to put down.

I am not going to write a full review of the details. I want to give you the opportunity to discover it for yourself. I believe this work is worth the effort. I was so taken by the story than the day after I finished this book I immediately picked up the second volume Clash of Kings. It looks like Mr. Martin’s series is going to be with me for the next two months. After that I will need a new author to tackle from another genre. I am open to suggestions. I do not want to get stuck for too long in any one particular genre.

I was thinking why this series has gained some of the spotlight when it comes to our popular culture. First, HBO knows how to promote a series. They are also more willing to take on shows that big 3 networks would not have the courage to show. But then again the FCC has a thin skin when it comes to the few of the “offended”. A series also brings attention to the book it is based on. In this case, I think it is the tone of this book which is capturing the audience. This is a story about the most “seductive and addictive” drug ever known and that is “power”. This story highlights various factions trying to obtain that “power” and the characters that are caught up in that struggle.

This book I think captures some undertones that are going on in the U.S. culture at this time. The first thing is these are characters that swear oaths and go into actions to defend those oaths. We live in a culture where it seems like those who are in “power” are constantly saying “I did not say that. I was taking out of context.” We have too many so called leaders now that hide behind lawyers, insurance regulations and opinion polls. People want to experience people who are the “antithesis” of that even if it is in a fictional setting. Secondly, I also think that our current Presidential Election process (or better yet “farce”) is bringing people to this series. In the story, it is a kingdom being ripped apart by various factions with the goal somehow reuniting that same kingdom as a whole someday. How this series will come to that ending is yet to be known (at least for myself)? It is not healthy for a society to have at least two years of two parties with various factions fighting it out for the job of the President. Two years running for a four year job is not an efficient way to run a society. At least not forward and up. But it seems like a good way to “go into the ground”. Ideology cannot be fought on a daily basis. There has to be some “pragmatics” at work. This book says as much about our present times as it does for the time in which it set.

looking at you now, I can see exactly where you fall on this spectrum. you are a man constantly trying to fix today what Yesterday Man did to you. you make up your bed, you clean those dirty dishes from the night before, and pledge not to start drinking until six, thinking that’s the way to keep an even keel. but in reality you’re always playing catch-up. I know this because I’ve been there. the thing is – you can’t fix the mistakes of Yesterday. Yesterday Man is dead, he’s gone forever, and blame and atonement aren’t worth a damn. what you CAN do is help yourself today. eat a vegetable. read a book. cut that hair of yours. leave Tomorrow Man something more than a headache and a jam-packed colon. do for Tomorrow Man what you would have wanted Yesterday Man to do for you.

It reminded me of this clip from the Drew Carey Show.

I stopped by the local bookstore to browse the titles. I do this to add to my reading list for the local library. I am trying to only buy books I can see myself referring to in the future. I have also been trying to read more from my To Be Read pile. It is cheaper economical alternative. And it is about time I got around to reading them.

I made this observation though. The store had racks of discount books outside in front of the store. They were those obscure book titles nobody wanted and they are heavily discounted at this point. And the rack is unsecured. This is what I think their reasoning for this may be. “Look if we can get you to pay something for these books. That would be great. But if you grab one and run. We’re not going to chase after you.”

 I have been trying to organize unwanted books and other things to E-Bay. But right now with that is a project on hold due to the fact there are a few things more pressing for me to get done. And the sooner. The better.

A few months ago, Ben over at the blog “Dead End Follies” published a list of books he was going to challenge himself to read. He wanted to read The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer but he could not find an affordable copy of the book. I had a copy of that book that has sat in my TBR pile for about 15 years. I started to read it but it was too dense for me to tackle at the time. I think it was too ambitious at the time to read along with all of my other college requirements. I am going to save the story of why I picked up this particular book for another time. So I decided I would pass the book along to him. I guess the book was meant more for him than it was for me. Also I hate it when people buy books just to leave them on a shelf to try impressing people. They want to give some false representation of “intelligence” they really do not possess at all .I try find out a lot about a people by their bookcase along with their CD and DVD shelves.

Besides if you have something that someone else needs then pass it along. Is that item whatever it might be worth holding on to just to collect dust in your place? It is become more about how you apply what you have in your possession both physically and mentally. That is what the comment section, the e-mail link, Twitter feed, Facebook, etc is there for you to reply to and get the conversation started. Tools were meant to be used. Thoughts and ideas are meant to be shared.

I have been thinking about the challenge of the Internet. You are going to come across a wide variety of topics. Most of the postings are there just for passive viewing. But from time to time you are going to come across websites where people are looking for answers to questions or problems. The challenge is taking a moment or two to respond. The future is going to those out their willing to participate with people. Many of these people will most likely never meet directly in person. We have experienced the “troll” on the Internet that person who cowardly hides behind a made up screen name with the sole purpose of being an asshole spewing ignorance. Secret identities only work in super hero comics. And those characters are trying to help humanity. The Internet Superhighway is going to eventually filter these trolls on to the off-ramp. Talk shit is going to accomplish nothing in a conversation. The Internet will someday filter these people out of the conversation because they are irrelevant.

The people who are willing to put their name to what they are putting out are going reap the benefits. Well most of the people. And let me declare this mandate. When it comes to publishing on the Internet pictures or video of your genitals (male or female) in action. PLEASE leave that to the professionals! Or to drunken amateurs who need to learn a life lesson. Doing the “act” in return for a free t-shirt is not an economic formula for success that will carry you through life. Another thing I want to mention. If you have ever posted your own “in action photos” (it does not count if you blacked out your face) then you cannot complain about privacy settings on social media websites.

I listened again to an old podcast from Keith and the Girl that featured a conversation with comedian Doug Stanhope. He said two things that stood out for me in regards to the Internet. “This is what the Internet will do. It is going to force people into places of honesty they don’t want to be in.” And “But the Internet is putting everyone on stage when it comes to social networking.” This episode ends with his story about how the Internet reunited him with a past “flame” aka Bobbie Barnett. She was not happy being the subject of one his most downloaded comedy bits. His response in the podcast episode was a bit tough yet funny. (Note: This segment in discussion starts at around 48:00 minute mark and the original comedy bit ends out the podcast)

In the end, you cannot take any of it with you. Whether that is a physical item or a mental thought. So when you can leave them behind

Besides, I would hate to have to go to this extreme with my site.

It has once again been way too long since I posted to this blog. It is has been a couple of weeks of annoyances and frustrations. And trying to attempt to put anything together for postings under this circumstances would have led to something that I would not like at all. It would have been a disservice to not only myself but anyone who takes the time to read this blog.

It has been a rainy spring here. And many of the home projects had to be put aside due to the weather. I was trying to write one night during a rain storm. It was raining hard and I went to check my basement to make sure the sump pump was working. I have had a couple of basement floods over the years. The basement was fine. However, the roof over the entrance way decided to spring a leak. The next day, I had to have a friend help try to repair where I thought the leak might be. And we had to do it while it was still raining. We thought we had it. A few hours later, when even more rain came the leak returned. I had to tarp the roof in a rainstorm. Let me warn you. Rain, a slippery roof, a plastic tarp along with the forces of gravity came close to making me test my health insurance coverage. The leak it turned out was caused by the roof vent not being broken and not sealed properly. The next joy was the fact it took over a week for me to be able to fix it properly. So every time it rained I was a “leak detection” duty. It was hard to focus on the writing when I was always on guard during the rains.

So let me throw a few more things out there.

Over the last few weeks, I have enjoyed the Adam Carolla podcasts. He can get on a “rant” that last a few minutes but in the end he brings to a great point. Comedian Bill Burr does the same thing with his podcast. Here is an episode when they teamed up.

I also need to rant. The rain has not been fun. It not only put a leak in my house. It is also caused a bunch of static to happen in my phone line. I had to wait to I got to work to call in to have a service call to fix the problem. My line went out on Saturday night. So this was Monday morning. I was told it would not be until at least Thursday before they could come out. And then it would be sometime between 9AM and 5PM. This is modern day customer service. “Customer service” has become an urban legend. It is a myth. I think I could find Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster a lot easier than I can find “service”. I think it would be easier to prove Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster actually exists. I also hate when the service rep tells me someone has to be their not necessarily myself and they could call me on my cell phone. I then I have to tell that person I have neither one of them in my immediate life. Then there is a brief pause. And I can hear the person thinking that I am a “pitiful borderline pathetic” person. But then again this person is in customer service which I know is providing me with the “illusion of service”. I know many who work in or have worked in customer service call centers. The next time, I see any of them I am going to have to asked them, “What the Fuck? Why do I call for customer service? If you are are just going to lie then I might as well call an adult hot-line for the same effect. I know they are lying to me to make me happy! And in the end I am going to have to handle the problem myself. But at least I can Guarantee! The job will be completed. And on time.” And by the way. It does not matter what company it is. I have never had a service tech make it to my house before 2:30PM. 

I did fix the roof. My hands were covered in tar. I would not been surprised at all if the my friend who helped the first came back. He hit me with a broken opened feather pillow. Snapped a quick photo. Posted with the title “The Evidence that Surprised No One.” Trust me. He is that type of person.

My ranting is done for now. I needed to get that out.

I am trying to get back to doing what I need to. But there are a few things I also need to complete. I will spare those details from this post.

I have been reading blog postings that kind of align with my condition.

Stephen Pressfield’s post “The Pain of Being Human”

Chris Guillebeau’s post “The Need for Change”

And last night I stumbled upon this segment from writer Sebastian Junger where he is coming to realization that his own desire and circumstances have changed.

Finally, it is nice to have a long weekend. It would be nice to spend sometime with a book, maybe a movie, the notepad along with some of my ideas. And see what happens from there.

My computer/website issues of the last week or so (although it feels longer than that) took too much out of me. And the writing part suffered a bit because of it. I just need to keep writing in order to keep moving forward. However, at this point I really had nothing for a “big idea”. 

So I came up with a new category to post under for the blog. It is called “Brain Fried”. It will be a semi regular update on what I reading, watching, listening to, etc. They may be things that lead to something for future postings. Or not. Hopefully, writing them out will get me closer to “breaking the code”. It is just another way to keep readers aware that there are things “cooking in the noggin”.

 This week’s sample platter includes:

• ·         The article Zen and the Art of Ninja Productivity

• ·         Writer’s Digest March/April edition had an article entitled “50 Simple Ways to Build Your Platform in 5 Minutes a Day”

 It led me to Grader.com to use as tool to grade the effectiveness of my blog. It gave me 61 out of 100. It recommended I put in better link tools to interface with Facebook and I should add a Twitter account to the page. I am not sure about the Twitter platform. It seems to me I would need more regular Internet access to make that a viable tool. I do not own a cell phone and my employment blocks use of such sites. But I am not ruling it out. I just need a plan on how to use it. I am not about to just use for the reason of “because” and “everyone else is”.

• ·         2 albums in heavy play for me this week.

The Dropkick Murphys new album Going Out in Style. You cannot listen to their music with a passive ear. And if you are going to go “walking out towards the sunset” this is the soundtrack. Go out “Rocking!” There is subtext to this album for me that has been on my mind lately and that is the dilemma of nostalgia. Just because something is or was. Does not mean necessarily that it should be. Nostalgia can be a very thick smokescreen.

The other album is Born Free by Kid Rock. There are some days you just want to listen to a straight forward rock album.

And finally I came across this quote from comedian Ted Alexandro.

“I am 42 years old, single, never married, no kids. I did it! I made it through the maze. Let me tell you something, if you are in your twenties or thirties, just hold on because it is beautiful on the other side of that rainbow. You don’t hear enough about it. You don’t have enough role models. It’s pretty much me and George Clooney, I think.”

I never thought I would be looking George Clooney as a role model for my life.

I live a strange life.

I do not think many people take the time to see how things they do in life are related to each other. I think most people compartmentalize many aspects of their own lives. However, it is problem an instinct of survival needed in today’s age. You can be in a lot of trouble if your profile does not match up to the corporate mandate. The 40 hour work week seems to rule the land. Imagine 25% of your week commands the other 75% of your life. It is any wonder why things do not seem to add up in our lives. I am not about to offer any real solution to that equation. Besides I am terrible at math.

There is a part of my life that has existed for close to almost 25 years at this point. I have been a ropes course instructor (now director). It is one of those teambuilding courses where people climb towers and such. I am not going to say who it is for. It is not that I am embarrassed by it. I want to keep it separate from what I am doing here on this site. I know how I approach the material here. I am very aware of how I approach that other work needs a completely different “sensitivity”. If I used this site to bridge those two areas I am opening myself to risk “offending” someone who may be involved with ropes course side. It would not be my intention or even desire to “offend” in that case. It would also take away my intention from my writings here.

I have been thinking about how these two aspects of my life are related in a way. I know I am doing something unusual here. Writing and working on a ropes course are something 90% of all people would have no idea about.

I am going to try to point of the some type of relation.

Working on outdoor teambuilding course I heard once as being referred to as “counseling on the run”. Sometimes you can get a group working together in 3-4 activities and at other times 10 activities are not enough to do the job. You have to be able to look at how the pieces (in this case people) are working and at the same time trying to adjust to the environment at the moment. Everyone wants to see how the puzzle with appear at the end. They also want the guaranteed ending. It just does not work like that. As an instructor I am there to create a safe environment in which to have an experience. What the ultimate meaning of the experience is up to that individual person. There is no guarantee to an experience. In the end, it is what it is.

Operating like this will inevitably open you up to criticism. It is part of the game. This goes into the idea of criticism vs. critical thought. “A critic is a man who knows the way but can’t drive a car.” says Kenneth Tynan It is all about them. They usually show up after all is set and done. I also heard a critic referred to as a person “who has no skin in the game”. But I guess it would not be a party without a “noise maker”. However, people who bring critical thinking to the event are better for all involved. It is more about having a conversation where all involved have a chance to change their outlook or have reinforced. They also bring resources and knowledge to the event at hand.

This leads for me into writing. I have been going back to what I like to write (besides these blog postings) which is for film. I have been starting to watch scenes and break them down. It is back to the “DIY” model. I did go to school for film. However, it did have an official screenwriting program. I had to do it as an independent study course. I should have seen this sign back then. I am not going to write about my “art school” experience at this point in time. I will in the near future. I had to go and find some book that would serve as my textbook to follow. This was pre-Internet days so there was not much to go by. A teacher in the department recommended Screenplay by Syd Field who was considered the expert for the masses at the time. And this was where my knowledge base started. His book does explain format and the three act structure to film. I would learn later people get overly hung up on spacing and font size. His book did not say screenplays are written in Courier 12pt (which they are). And at that time, personal home computers and software were not priced to the point of being affordable. It is all still this day very much a “work in progress” when it comes to this format of writing for me. I also like the format when it comes to fiction because truth is I am a bit of a lazy writer. Example, I do not want to write 300 words or so describing the weather. I can show you the same idea within the shot.

I may be writing something different in format. However, that does not mean I am near being any type on an expert. I am trying to be more knowledgeable, proficient and efficient. I came across the book The Coffee Break Screenwriter by Pilar Alessandra. It is showing me how I can go about breaking down my screenwriting into more manageable pieces. She also has a podcast that I started listening to while I go about work. Another podcast I found is Creative Screenwriting so I can hear from the writers themselves about how they created their film. The only problem is I have to have seen it first because they give away a lot “spoilers”. I just need to keep balance between the times spent on finding resources vs. productive writing time.

The filmmaking process is in a way like “counseling on the run.” I do not know exactly what the final product will be like or the experience related to it. All I am doing is writing the framework in which we will be operating. All I can control in this process is the basis for the origins of my story and the first draft of the screenplay. After that I have to give up any idea that I will have total control of aspects of the final film. Everyone who gets involved in making it will bring different ideas and skills to the script. I just have to be able to see the environment at the moment and act accordingly. I also have to be able to filter through the ideas brought forth. I have to know what to fight for and what I have to surrender to. I also am very aware of how working in parameters like this can scare many people. Even the successful movies and TV series operate like this.

I remember years ago, I sat through a screening of a movie that was not that good. I will not say the title. The man behind making the film was also in the room for the screening. Afterwards, during the Q and A session it was a bit awkward. However, he started to laugh because he knew it was not that good of a movie either. He pointed out his mistakes like how he miscast the villain because he was the only actor willing to do the role at the time. There was a scene that ended abruptly. Because that is where he had spent his last budgeted filming dollar. He had no more money for film at this point. The rest of the budget was for editing. We all felt this would be a career ending film for him since it was not so good. In fact, he said it got him even more work. The reason was he was able to show that he knew the basic of how to go about putting a film together. The mistakes meant more than anything else here. This seems to go against modern society that seems bent on belaboring any mistakes a person makes. I guess it shows you have to know when to move with a project. He also said the movie at least broke even for the investors and after cable rights they made some money. In the end, he said that was the motivation for the investors. However, for him it was something to add to the resume.

This is what anyone who is the midst of trying to create a new experience needs to learn to take to heart and mind. Especially myself.

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how
the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

            -Theodore Roosevelt

He was probably best known for the song The Werewolves of London. He was one of the great songwriters off all time. The music of the late Warren Zevon is what I am listening to as I write this post. His last three albums (Life’ll Kill Ya, My Ride’s Here and The Wind) are classics. The Wind was recorded as he was dealing with his limited mortality. As he said, “I seem to have made a tactical error” in regards to his own health. However, it taught him “To enjoy every sandwich.” The problem with people who have “the quirk of genius” in their art is that it does not seem to gain appreciation until that artist passes from this life. At least he left something behind for future people to discover.

I also listen to quite a few podcasts to help me make time move during the workday. I like podcast because you are given a chance to listen to a conversation that is not sanitized and homogenized. It is nice to be a “fly on the wall” listening to a people having a genuine discussion. This medium is a reason that terrestrial radio is dying. People want to hear conversations that challenge their perceptions. The problem radio (and network television) is they are afraid that in challenging people they run the risk of “offending a few”. And those few go and ruin it for the rest of us who are intelligent enough to change the station if there is something we do not like. I came by this one. It was WTF with Marc Maron and this episode features a conversation with Kevin Smith. (This podcast also goes along with some ideas of my last post.) They discuss more about how Kevin is trying to change the paradigm of his own works. How people try to “box” him so they can “sell” him. And how he is no longer going to work within that model. I also found another episode where Marc Maron and comedian Louis CK discuss the nature of their work and friendship.

It also made me think about how the paradigm of my own needs to shift. I am also attempting something that no one else in my immediate circle is doing. I think at times they look at me like they are waiting for the moment they can get me into the straight jacket along with the right medication. The good side though I will get all the jell-o I want and watch the Cartoon Network all day long. I think they are suspicious of me because unlike them my life is not within a framework of “married with children”. I thought about this and came up with the metaphor for me in this regards. I look at “married with children” like the giant spaceship at the end of Close Encounters with the Third Kind. The one at the end where the Richard Dreyfus character cannot wait to get on and go for a ride. They sell marriage like that. A big fun ride of really “bait and switch”. Sure it looks like fun. But I know my luck given a situation like that. I will misread the signs on that alien ship because I can’t read alien. I will then end up in the part of the ship that administers the Eric Cartman Anal Probe. In the end, either way it is going to be a pain in the ass. (I realize what I just wrote may come back to haunt me.)

The other part of attempting to do something out of the normal of where you are is that there is a lack of people to call upon. And there is no one who couldn’t use a bit of guidance from time to time. In my case, this leads me to use my every handy and well worn library card. Books can contain some knowledge to them. Plus you can engage that book on your own terms. There may be some out there who may be able to shed some light on the path. I realized a long time ago that the piece of paper on my wall will not cover what I need to know. Education is a non-stop deal with that mythical “grindstone”. I start reading The Art of Non-conformity by Chris Guillebeau. Ironic title for me? It sounds almost the title of my future never to be written autobiography. I know we live an age when these how to self improvement books seem to be a dime a dozen. I wish they were that cheap. I said this before that I will never completely buy completely ANY book. I also started to rethink this idea after reading Ben’s post over at www.deadendfollies.com entitled Engineering the Freak. (Hopefully I explain this right) He rejects all books like the one I am reading as a way to gain insight into the human condition and also into himself. He prefers to do it through reading fiction works of certain authors. I think fiction can be a great way to look at the human condition. The Road by Cormac McCarthy and The Plague by Albert Camus are two of my favorite in that approach. I think fiction can be a great way of dealing with the complex issues of the human experience. However, at the same time there are the “mechanical” day to day aspects of live. How does a person operate to accomplish something? I do agree our pop psychology society as over burden too many. I am going to speak for myself and just say I have to strive to maintain a balance between the two areas of books. The best part is I get to sift through it all and pick and choose what may work for me. I promise never to write a book spelling out how people should do step by step everything I did. If anything I should be seen as a bit of a “warning”.

I am working and writing towards a goal of a bigger success. I am not completely sure of what that picture is at this moment. A firm benchmark does not exactly work here. So I am going to borrow and idea from a Woody Allen quote. “My success has allowed me to strike out with a higher class of women.”

People have done a lot more for far less in this life. It is better than holding up for the 39 cents to “super size” my order. And when I go. I don’t really want to be found in the gutter.