Random Ramblings: It's My Blog...

... and I will blog when I want to.

Blogging: So I missed another Sunday. Well, it is my blog so I can do whatever I want to do. So I have decided that for the remainder of my BlogBlitz(tm) I will be skipping Sundays.

Reading: For my quarterly book I am reading the sequel to Mick Foley's Have a Nice Day. Yup, another wrasslin' book. Hey, I know what I like.

Writing: I have had this comic book idea pop in and out of my mind these last couple of days. I am combining that idea with another novel idea The Samaritans with it and seeing where it is going. And surprising myself, I have also scripted a few pages. I think I am going to use this idea for the upcoming ScriptFrenzy. Before I script more I am going to plot out some stuff. This idea was something my friend Joel and I developed way back in the day but we decided to go in another direction. Hopefully he doesn't mind me dusting this off and adding a coat of paint.

Planning: What to eat here in two weeks for the Superbowl. Yesterday we ate these yummy sweet pork sandwiches/salads while catching the games. Now that the stupid Pats and Giants made the Superbowl, the only important thing about the Superbowl will be the food.

Disappointing: While both games yesterday were exciting, two of my least favorite teams won. I was hoping for the Ravens and 49ers but I guess I cannot win them all. But on the other hand, I felt this way four years ago when the same teams faced each other and it turned out to be one of the greatest games ever. Oh well, there is always next year.

Reading Part II:  I have decided to read all my X-Men books from the beginning which leads me to this:

Blogging Part II:  The comic book geek inside of me is going to do a comic book blog sometime later this year. I just have to find a clever name for my blog and set it up. I am planning on blogging about each X-Men book I am reading and I am choosing 3 panels from each book to blog about. I'll be blogging about other stuff as well.

2012 Resolutions

Kristy, Logan and I celebrated an early New Year with a glass of Ginger Ale at 9:00 PM, New Year's Eve. We did this so Logan could celebrate the New Year along with Kristy and I. We hoisted our glasses in the air and I made a toast. 

"Here is to a Happy 2013. I hope it is better than the last year."

Logan and Kristy immediately busted up with laughter. I guess I was getting a little ahead of myself. I think I wanted to skip making resolutions for 2012!

I really liked the format I used last year so I am doing it again. 

I RESOLVE...

• to go back to school and get an education. I am still not sure exactly what I will studying, I am going back and forth from Pharmacist to Paralegal. Either way, I will be heading back to school sometime this year.

I RESOLVE...

• to continue to read more. I think I will continue with reading a book every quarter and I am sure I can find more autobiographies or instructional books that I can read. Along with that I am going to try to read the Ensign magazine monthly again. Last summer we also had the cool opportunity to hear from Elder Bednar and he gave us all a neat promise that I am going to work on to fulfill. 

I RESOLVE...

• to continue exercising and trying to eat right. I will still continue to eat what I want but I am going to limit my portions more carefully. I still would like to run a 5K race but I am unsure how my knee will react. If all goes good, I will try to run the Top of Utah 5K. If that does not work I might run the 1 mile race at Logan's school again. I will continue with my walking DVDs, playing racquetball and going out for runs.

I RESOLVE...

• to actually do some drawing or some kind of art this year. Even if I do some rough sketches that would be good enough. I used to do some art while watching Lost a few years ago so I know that I have the time. I just need to get disciplined and do it. I still am highly interested in doing some Queen art. 

I RESOLVE...

• to continue to use and hone my musical talents. I will continue to play the bass guitar and participate in as many choirs and other singing opportunities. Along with that, I am also going to spend some time learning about music. I would like to get to the point where I can actually read music. 

I RESOLVE...

• to take the time to write more. I have a lot of projects that I need to edit and work on again. I will participate in the Nanowrimo competition again this November and I will give ScriptFrenzy a whirl again here in April. This time I think I might try out something completely different with ScriptFrenzy. I might do a TV show or a musical. I will also blog a bit more than I did last year. I might have to do a few more BlogBlitzes to accomplish that goal.          

I RESOLVE...

• to use my time wisely. I am going to shut off the TV at 9:00pm and spend an hour until bedtime completing my resolutions. So I can draw, read or practice music during this time. I am going to give myself a floating day or two where I can watch TV or a movie or something. Basically so I can veg out once in awhile. 

That should keep me busy this coming year. 

The Plot Bunny

Today I met with some other Nanowrimo writers at the local Hastings.

I like to meet new people but I do find myself incredibly shy at times. And I honestly don't want to share my stories, I guess I am paranoid in my old age. We have a nice little group of writers and I am looking forward to hearing their experiences with writing. Hopefully it will motivate me when I get behind or when I am at a loss for words.

One of the members of the group gave me a real cute homemade Plot Bunny. A Plot Bunny is the term some groups of writers give to the little ideas that start off big stories. Basically, a Plot Bunny gives you a small idea and it reproduces... ...like a bunny. These little creatures will not rest until you write what they are telling (begging) you to write. Even if has nothing to do with your story, or it goes in a direction you don't think it should go, this bunny will eat at you until you do. Some just come right up and tell you what to write, some just carefully weave its way into your novel.

I just need a name for my Plot Bunny. Any ideas?

Random Ramblings: Lazing on a Sunday Afternoon

Sick: Wasn't I just getting over some strange stomach flu just last week? Now my allergies are kicking my rear. I am so congested and itchy.

Listening: Black Sheep by the Evil Exes. I love this song!

Lazing: Yesterday was such a nice day. Early in the morning we took a road trip down to Salt Lake for Stella's baby blessing. For those that don't know, in the LDS faith, fathers have the opportunity to bless their baby during church and it serves a couple of purposes. The main purpose is to give the infant a name which it will be known on the church records and then the father can give the infant a blessing. I really appreciated Andrea for going out of her way to make sure I meet Stella before the service began. I feel kinda bad that this was the first time I met my beautiful new niece. Steven (Stella's father) asked me if I would assist and I was happy to do it. It was a beautiful blessing and it was a wonderful church service. It was also nice to see some of my fellow bloggers even if I was not able to chat with them. But it was nice to be remembered. Afterwards we went to Kristy's mom house for some lunch and to relax. It was a nice and relaxing visit.

Giddy: So Steven and I were talking (about football of course) and he mentioned that he would really like to catch the Detroit Lions (his favorite team) when they play the Denver Broncos. He just doesn't have anyone to go with. Now I have been to Denver a few times and I would love to go to a cold weather game in Denver! The game is October 30th. Wheels are in motion!

Winning: I completed my 100 page ScriptFrenzy project! There were times that I didn't think I would make it but I persevered and made it! The next time I do it I will be better prepared and plot things out. It was still a learning experience and I HIGHLY RECOMMEND any wanna-be-writer to give this a whirl. You won't regret the time and hard work you put into it.

Random Ramblings

On the Bad Genious message board (yeah, Genious is misspelled on purpose... part of the joke) we have a thread called the Watching, Wearing, Doing thread. Here we talk about what we are doing, what we are wearing, what we are listening and pretty much anything and everything.

So I thought I would steal that format and blog about it:

Explaining: Some of you may not know what the Bad Genious is all about. Essentially we are a bunch of online friends that all read and collect comics. We met on another message board and now we have our own private board where we all chat. I have known these people for about 10 years or so and I have met a few of them in real life.

Writing: I normally don't blog on Mondays since I am so lazy. But here I am!

Writing Part II:  I really should be working on my ScriptFrenzy project. I am so far behind. I only have 12 days till the finish line and I have only posted 42 pages. I should be writing that instead of blogging but I need the break.

Listening: Currently I am listening to A Night On The Bare Mountain by Mussorgsky. One of my all-time favorite classical music pieces. I notice that I write more intently when I have music that is all instrumental. Earlier it was Ennio Morricone and the Kingdom of Heaven soundtrack.

Watching: The other night I watched a movie based on a comic book (wow! does that surprise anyone) and it just may be my new favorite. Scott Pilgrim vs The World is based on the series of Scott Pilgrim books and this movie was fantastic. It was a great adaptation but I couldn't help wonder if I enjoyed it because it was a faithful adaptation or did I enjoy it because it was unlike any other movie I have seen? I'll make Kristy watch it here in a few days and get her opinion. She knows of the comics but is not familiar with them at all.

Hoping: We are getting so much rain here. We live close to a river and there are some fears that we may have some major flooding. I hope that we get a slow warm up and that it stays relatively dry for the next week or so.

Catching Up: I have been bad at keeping up with reading blogs. Look out for a plethora of comments!

Wearing: A short sleeved shirt! And I am not cold! It has been awhile.

Celebrating: I have been playing racquetball every Tuesday. Thursday and Saturday mornings and I have been trying to run on the other days. Today it has been raining a ton and I hate running in the rain (affects my asthma) so I decided to so some of the Wii Fit. I have done a session in 171 days and I have found that I have lost 5.1 pounds since that time! HUZZAH!

Thanking:  Thanks to all those that reached out during my last couple of rough days. I am already feeling better and am moving on. Seriously though, I do appreciate all the comments.

2011 Resolutions

YAY! 2011!

I am so glad to see some of my fellow bloggers come back to their blog and I am also glad to see that some of them has used the opportunity to blog to come up with some goals and resolutions. Reading them has motivated me.

I really like the way my cousin Jeremy posted his so I am going to steal it.

I RESOLVE...

• to take the time to write more. I have three unfinished novels that are just sitting around. I also have a children's story that is just sitting in my filing cabinet. My goal is to finish at least two of them and continue the third. I will also so another round of NaNoWriMo this November and I will need to figure out what I should write. And I will participate in another round of Script Frenzy this April. I am not sure what I will do for that competition. I might continue my comic book or try something completely different like a TV episode or a musical.  And this blog will continue 5 days a week.          

                               I RESOLVE...                                 

• to take the time to read more. I really liked reading a novel/book once a month last year and I think I would like to continue that resolution for this year too. One thing I have learned by blogging daily is that I can do anything daily if I just put my mind to it. If I can blog daily, I can read something daily. So I resolve to read my scriptures daily. I also resolve to read the Ensign (a church magazine) from cover to cover every month. I also resolve to read a good book once a quarter. I have a bunch waiting.

I RESOLVE...  

• to take care of myself. I am no spring chicken and I need to watch what I do (and what I don't do) to my body. So yeah, the ugly E-word. Exercise. I have been a slacker the last month and I need to get going again. I resolve to exercise 5 days a week if possible. I have some fun walking programs that I can do (and will do!) during the cold winter months and then get back into running when the weather gets a bit warmer. And speaking of running, I also will run my first 5K race this year. I will run the Top of Utah 5K on September 17th. I will have all spring and summer to train so I have no excuse not to make it. I will also watch what I eat and try to slim down my portions.

I RESOLVE...  

• to pick up a pen and draw. I want to draw and I want to be creative. Last year I wanted to reactivate my Queen blog (Sheer Art Attack) and post some art based on Queen songs. I was going to do it once a month and I think that may have been too lofty a goal. So I will see if I can do something quarterly.

I RESOLVE...  

• to continue to the play the bass guitar. But instead of just playing it by ear, I may borrow some books from the library and really teach myself how to play. And to also continue to sing with the choir and look for some other opportunities to use these talents.

I RESOLVE...  

• I have some other things that I want to do this year but they are private or they are too mundane and boring to list them here.

That should keep my plenty busy for this new year. I will blog monthly how I am doing. I am not a huge fan of such disclosure but I think that really helped me accomplish these goals last year. I also want to wish all my fellow bloggers that have also blogged about some resolutions and goals the best and that I will do my best in supporting them.

The Write Stuff: NaNoWriMo 2010

HUZZAH!

I have completed my third NaNoWriMo competition. This year I only had the ending figured out (which I have not written yet) and nothing else. I barely had a cast of characters so I thought I would have my work cut out for me. So I just started to write.

And I successfully completed my 50,000 word journey and I still have not completed my story. I am right at the end, at the very exciting conclusion! Who will die? Who will live? Who will have redemption? Who will lose his toe? Just seeing if you are paying attention. No one loses their toe...  ...or do they?

I am a little embarrassed that I wrote about vampires. It seems like those little bloodsuckers are everywhere. And I am not a fan of the sparkly lovey-dovey vampires either. My vampires are creatures, they are like animals. They are completely opposite of the sparkly vampires. I got this idea a long time ago. I was going to join this writing contest so I was brainstorming an idea for a horror comic. Unfortunately I totally got the contest wrong. I was writing an ending for a comic that they were publishing instead of creating a new story. So I retooled it into what it is today. It is set in the old west and involves two brothers that see things completely different. An unfortunate incident occurred and split the two of them apart, now they are reunited and face an even greater danger.

I was surprised that these characters took a life of their own. I am also surprised that there were events that I did not see coming until I was actually writing them. This is the part I absolutely love about writing. When things go off on their own direction, when something comes that is not planned, when small characters become important and "write" themselves back into the novel. I just love that!

I am already looking forward to ScriptFrenzy this April. I am not sure what to do for that, I was thinking of continuing my Alpha Flight comic book but I may try a stab at something else. A long, long time ago I had a fun idea for a Seinfeld episode and I have always wanted to write some sort of musical. We'll have to see come April.

Anyone *ahem* Jeremy *cough*  that has a desire to write and has always wanted to give it a shot, I cannot recommend doing the NaNoWriMo challenge. It is very rewarding and you will not regret it.

Please Take Out a Pencil

Day 333

About a year ago I joined a cool website called Illustration Friday. Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation and then upload a thumbnail to their website so everyone can see what everyone came up with.

I did it for a couple of weeks and then life just got too busy and soon I slacked off. I had to unsubscribe from their e-mail list since I felt so guilty that I was not participating. I would sketch during Lost and then fix it up and send it on through. It was a fun experience and I was surprised at what I created. Other submissions made mine look like something out of a landfill and were absolutely fantastic but all-in-all I was happy with what I was able to do.

Which got me thinking. One of my earlier goals was for me to do some art. I don't think I have really accomplished that goal (as of yet anyway) but it was not high on the list like some of my other goals. I am thinking of next year already and what I want to accomplish and I think I have an idea. I do want to continue my blog and now I have a perfect excuse. I will join Illustration Friday again and do a weekly drawing and I will blog about it. Blog about how it came to be, blog about how I did it and of course post the pic. Now I have something to blog about weekly and hopefully having the excuse to blog about it here will keep me going.

I probably won't start until the new year since I will be concentrating on my new NaNoWrMo novel all through November. And I invite my fellow bloggers to try out either (or both) contests. It is a huge time commitment but I think you will be surprised about your output and how creative you can be under the gun.

Here is what I did for Illustration Friday.

"Breezy"

This was my first attempt. I can tons of things that I would definitely do different. Oh well...

"Intricate"

I thought about how intricate nature is and went for one of the simplest things in nature, a drop of water.

"Legendary"

I am so disappointed in this scan. It looks so much better in person. Freddie is legendary in his own right and he was the first thing I thought of.

"Poise"

I thought of a young gymnast or dancer. I like the figure in general until her neck. Ugh, I definitely would want to redo this but I don't think it was that bad for a couple of hours work.

"Subtract"

I thought of absolute zero temperatures. I like the way this turned out but her eye has an odd shape. I really need to practice my faces.

The Journals

Day 280

As I have mentioned before, I am very jealous impressed with my cousin Jeremy's drive to write in his journal. That was perhaps the biggest motivations for me to start this blog and to keep it going past the 365 mark.

I have never kept a steady journal except for my two year LDS mission to New York. I had a small Garfield journal that I kept for about two weeks in total that I still have. I still look through all these journals and I am happy that I kept some sort of journal. 

I got my first journal for Christmas from Santa Claus and I wrote some things in it that I would like to share.

Dec 23rd 1982

Today is the day I did it. I made it up which girlfriend I want. I want Tammy R + Carmen. I like Carmen better.

(*sigh* young love...)

Jan 8th 1983

Today I quit with Carmen. She is dumb very. I would like to have Tammy R.

(that didn't last too long... at least I am the one that broke it off with her)

June 22nd 1983

I love Olivia Newton John. I got her poster and tape. I can't wait for her to love me. She's cute, very cute.

(Okay... I didn't have her poster. I just took out the cover to the tape and hung it up on my wall next to a Star Wars card of Princess Leia. I still like Olivia Newton John)

(Yup... that's the one. I think I still have that tape lying around somewhere. Or hanging up somewhere...)

July 9th, 1983

This morning my sister's hamster died at 1:00AM. The hamster's name was Midnite. I cried. My dad held Midnite and put him under the bed. We are going to bury him (in the) backyard.

(I remember this pretty clearly. We did bury him in the backyard in our garden. My dad had him in a shoebox. Jennifer didn't want to cry because she had just put on her makeup. I tried to be strong and not cry so Jennifer wouldn't but I did anyway. My dad said a prayer and we buried him)

This was my next journal. My sister got it for me when I left for my mission and I am so glad that she did. I wrote daily the whole time I was on my mission. This was the first volume.

This was the last journal I wrote in. My second volume of my time spent in New York.

I am thankful for the many examples I have in my life that are writing in their journals and are doing a blog. I know that these writings will be valuable for our family and posterity.

The Last Days of July

Day 274

It is hard to believe that it is August 1st already, that is eight months into the new year! That means I only have about 4 months left on the blog which is even harder to believe.


It also means that it is time to be accountable for the resolutions that I made in the New Year. I was doing these columns every two weeks but I like the monthly format better. Now I just have to remember what I did last month. :)

WRITING:

I'll be honest, I have not done any writing this last month aside from my blog. I have revisited my earliest attempt at a novel that I did a few years ago but I have not done any revisions or even plotting. That really needs to change since November's NaNoWrMo is coming up and will be here quicker than I think. I have to decide if I want to go into my horror novel or continue with my early Powergate novel. Either way, I need to start outlining it out.

READING:

Last month I was struggling, now I am far ahead of schedule with no signs of stopping. I finished "Sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs : a low culture manifesto" by Chuck Klosterman and thought that was a fun read. He and I think alike on some topics, we both watched The Real World (and his chapter devoted to that was fascinating) and we both thought Billy Joel's album, the Nylon Curtain was his best work. His chapters on Saved by the Bell and breakfast cereals were pretty funny. I might check out a few more of his books.

I also read Conversations with Tom Petty, which I found very fascinating. It gave an in depth look at Petty's career and also spent a great deal of time on his songs.

I also read The Final Season by former New York Jets head coach Bill Parcell. That was fun to read as well since it took me back to one of the more interesting seasons of the New York Jets.

I am now close to finishing another book, If Chins Could Kill: Confessions Of A B-Movie Actor by Bruce Campbell. I saw this at the library and I had to read it. I have always wanted to read it and it is just as fun as you would think it would be. I'll do a Book Review column for that when I am done with the book here in a week or so.

I have a few books waiting in the wings that I am excited to read. I still have Driven: An Autobiography by Larry H Miller (former owner of the Utah Jazz and major Utah business owner). And I also want to track down Wishful Drinking (Carrie Fisher's memoirs) and Lips Unsealed (Belinda Carlisle's memoirs).

So I think I am on my way to completing this goal with ease by the end of the year.

EXERCISE AND EATING RIGHT:

This is probably the most steady exercising I have ever had. When I look back the last eight months I can say that I have exercised at least 3 times each week. I am still running (and it is getting easier, I can see the improvements) and I do try to lift some weights as well. I try to run when I can but that depends on how hot it is. If it is too hot, I work out on my Total Gym. I still have not lost any more weight but I do look a lot more tone. I am trying to eat better but I have not been very anal. Kristy and I started to get our Bountiful Baskets and so I feel like I am eating a heck of a lot more fruit and veggies. I feel healthier and I guess that is the most important thing.

OTHER STUFF:

I have not done any major art but I am doodling more. Heh, that sounds kinda strange. I am playing my bass guitar pretty regularly now. I keep it by my computer, I know that if I put it away, I will never play it. So I am keeping it out and I am trying to play for at least fifteen minutes (a few songs) a day.
So not too bad. I have to tighten the screws on a few goals and work on them and then I think I am set!

List-Mania: Writing Comic Books

Day 265!

That means I only have one hundred days to go! So I am going to celebrate by being all geeky!

I was trying to think of a subject for today's List-Mania, something other than my usual favorite something. I didn't want to do something cliche for List-Mania like favorite fruits or my top favorite colors. I also get bored writing them. I can make the list but explaining why I like them bores the crap out of me and I usually leave the column half done.

The topic for this column will probably only interest me but it will help flex my writing abilities. For this column I am choosing my Top 5 comic books that I would want to write and why I would want to write them. These are my dream projects.

5) Cloak and Dagger

The Concept: Cloak and Dagger met in New York City as runaways. The two teens were soon forcibly delivered to a criminal chemist who was developing a new synthetic heroin. Cloak and Dagger were injected with the drugs as a test for the new drug and they gained superpowers.

Why Would I Write It: Cloak and Dagger first appeared as vigilantes but eventually they were turned more into superheroes and later was involved as mutants in the X-Men. I would remove them from this and return them to the street where they belong. Dagger's abilities would be the thing I would focus on. Dagger can generate and throw "light daggers" which stun targets by forcing them to confront the darkness in their own souls. Her light can also cure drug addictions in some people, as a side affect of that painfully enlightening experience. Additionally, her light can alleviate Cloak's thirst for light and warmth. What if she could cure more than just addictions? What if she could cure disease? Everyone would be after her and that is what I would tackle. I would also play up the supernatural feel to the book and they would venture into the dark corners of the Marvel Universe.

4) Cyberforce

The Concept: Cyberforce is a team of mutants who had all at one point been captured by Cyberdata, an enormous corporation with ambitions of world-takeover. Cyberdata used their elaborate technology to enhance the mutant powers with cybernetic implants. Eventually the members of Cyberforce escaped Cyberdata and Cyberdata is no more.

Why Would I Write It: What attracts me to this team is the fusion of mutant abilities with hardcore cybernetics and technology. Instead of making them typical superheroes I would really concentrate on the science fiction behind this concept. My first storyline would involve one of the characters, Ballistic, searching for her missing sister Velocity and the rest of the Cyberforce squad. It seems like they have vanished from the face of the Earth. There is no record of them even existing, it was like a computer hard drive that was wiped clean. For some reason I also think it is cool that the females outnumber the males on this team.

3) Spider-Man

I don't think I should draw the comic though. This drawing of mine comes from 1984-85.

The Concept: Everyone knows the story of nerdy Peter Parker being bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining super abilities. What comic book writer wouldn't want a chance to write the best superhero in the world?

Why Would I Write It: Who wouldn't want to write Spidey? While I would mix my stories with classic villains, I would also create some new baddies for Spidey. What I really admire about Spider-Man is his sense of responsibility and core beliefs. Peter tries his hardest to be a good person even when things are going bad. And I would throw everything at him including the kitchen sink. After I had plotted a storyline I would read it again and wonder what would be the worst thing to happen to Peter and then I would write it in.

2) Alpha Flight

This has to be one of the best and simpliest costume designs.

The Concept: Alpha Flight is Canada's premier superhero team.

Why Would I Write It: How could I turn away the job of writing Canada's own superteam? Alpha Flight has been treated like a joke at Marvel and I would want to change that. In fact, I already have. For my first ScriptFrenzy project I wrote Alpha Flight: Dark Reign. I have lots and lots of ideas for the various members of Alpha Flight. Did you know that Wolverine was supposed to lead this team instead he bolted and joined the X-Men? Personally, I see a lot of potential for this team and more than likely I would try to get them tied into the Avengers franchise. After writing my script I did find it difficult in writing a large cast of characters and it made me appreciate those writers that do.

1) The Powergate Project

The Herald makes his first appearance.

The Concept: In the search for an alternative energy source, a terrible accident binds three strangers together and leads them to even stranger discoveries.

Why Would I Write It: I would love the chance to write about the adventures of Dr. Mercury, Professor Taylis, Brock, Alecia, Nick and all those guys from Legacy and the Guild.

Wait... ...you never heard of these guys?

My friend Joel did all the conceptual art for our comic.

That's good because this has been my special comic project for the last ten years or so. My friend and artist Joel and I developed this cast of characters while we were in college. It was more of a Fantastic Four homage but definitely metamorphosed into something completely different. The first time I participated in NaNoWrMo I decided to write my comic book in novel form from the beginning. I will eventually go back to this and complete it and may revisit next November. I have hundreds of pages of plots and scripts. One day I will complete this massive story.

Posting this has really put me in the mood to do some writing.

Happy Birthday Jeremy!

Day 252

I am in awe of those bloggers that try to cover every one's birthday on their blogs. I thought about doing that since I would have something to blog about the majority of the time but then I thought of the workload and I remembered that I don't remember occasions like these. And I would feel incredibly stupid if I accidentally missed someone. I am horrible at remembering birthdays and stuff like that. So I decided against covering all the birthdays aside from my own family.

But I have made a special case (Get it? Case - case?) for my fellow bloggers. One of the biggest advantages of blogging with my fellow bloggers is that you will not miss their birthday. And really, I have only a few extra blogs to cover and they don't come for awhile. And I would be carrying some extra guilt since they wrote about me on my birthday. (wink, wink)

And today is a special day, it is my cousin and fellow newbie blogger Jeremy's birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

As he mentioned on his blog Jeremy are close. Maybe it was because our birthdays are so close to each other, personally I think it is because we knew each other in Heaven before this life. And we saw what crazy families we would be apart of and we vowed to try to strengthen and keep ourselves sane. (Only kidding folks... out families are not that crazy)

I guess I was the exhibisionist of the family eh?

I love this picture of us with Grandpa. Who would have thought that we would both have the same hairstyle now?

We have a lot of similarities. We both like to write and he is perhaps the biggest influence on my writing. I started this blog because I wanted to have some sort of record of my life. I regret that I never kept a journal like Jeremy has. I am in awe, I mean I am completely jealous of his tenacious ability to write and keep a journal. Jeremy also has a beautiful way with words. And not only can he creatively write, he has the best penmanship! Seriously, I wish I could write cursive the way he does.

Now I just need him to sit down and crank out that great American novel! I know he has it in him. I am looking in your direction this November Jeremy!

I hope you don't mind me sharing this. This was one of the novel ideas he had that he shared with me. Maybe this November you should write a rough draft or add another chapter? ;)

I actually created a character based directly on Jeremy. Remember Jetstream?

There are many things that Jeremy knows about me but no one else does. He was very instrumental while I was serving my LDS mission to New York. He inspired me to keep a daily journal (which I did) of those two years. I have shared with him parts of that journal so he knows stuff that I have never shared with anyone else. He also wrote me regularly while I was in New York. His letters were always so uplifting and full of creativity. What I enjoyed most of his letters was his honesty. Not only did we share what we thought and felt, we also shared writing ideas. On my P-Days (the one day of the week you had off while on the mission) I would write and plot stories and then send them to Jeremy. I would get some valuable feedback but he would also send me his story ideas and I fed off of that energy. Thanks Jeremy! You helped me through many difficult times on my mission.  I believe it was during this time that we coined the phrase "Soul Cousins".

I still have all your old letters from the mission field. I love that you sent me a Star Wars card. We must have asked to be sent to Earth so we could see Star Wars while growing up.

 I have some fond memories of spending time with Jeremy and all the CaseClan. I was lucky that I had a cousin my age (remember, I am still older than you!) that I could hang out with. You have been through so much and I have never heard you complain or utter a word of despair and I admire that. I am so glad that you have taken this blogging challenge. I think I will continue past my time to keep you company during this year-long adventure.

I hope you have a great birthday. And may the Force be with you!

Day 200!

Day 200

I am a little bummed. I should be celebrating my 200th Blog post but instead I am bummed out.

On the 14th and 28th day of each month I account for my goals and if you haven't noticed it is the 19th today and I still have not posted my Day(s) of Reckoning for May yet. And that is why I am bummed.

So now that it is close to the halfway point of this year I thought it would be good to see where I am at in relation to my goals. 

WRITING

1) Finish and publish my novel "The Vessel"

Not good. I have completed the novel but I am nowhere near being able to get it published. And to make matters even worse, that special code that NaNoWrMo provided to get my novel published has expired. So even if I was done I still failed at completing this goal and that is why I am feeling a little bummed.

But there is still a silver lining. I wrote a book. A complete book from start to finish and it was over 65,000 words. How many people have done that? It was still a great experience and I appreciate all those that helped me with this. I will still finish it up and get it ready to publish.

2) Plot my novel for next November's NaNoWrMo

I have not even started with this yet but I do have some story ideas. I think the one I would like to work on is tentatively called "Blood Mine" and it deals with vampires during the old west. And it is not nice or romantic. It plays more on themes of religion and horror. Nice mix right? Right now this takes priority for my writing goal.

3) Try ScriptFrenzy

CONQUERED! I participated in this and wrote a comic book script titled "Alpha Flight: Dark Reign" and I am pretty happy with it.

4) Update my Banshee Blog

I have updated it but not monthly. But I still have updated it. I do plan on doing some updates.

READING

1) Read a novel once a month

WINNER! So far at least. I should be finishing up my 5th novel this month and I am actually starting my 6th one instead. I have read "Beat the Reaper", "Crooked Little Vein", "Veeps", "Bret Hart: My Real Life in the Cartoon World of Wrestling" and "Comic Creators on Spider-Man" and I am starting "Shogun".

ART

1) Work on Queen art for blog

Nothing. I have done some art but nothing for my other blog. We'll see how the rest of the year goes.

EATING RIGHT/EXERCISE

1) Exercise daily except for weekends

2) Watch what I eat

I have been exercising a lot more than I did before I made this goal. And I think I look slimmer and a lot more tone. I have only missed a handful of days so success! Eating right I am still struggling with but I am a lot more careful with what I eat and how much I eat. So I still have some work but I think I am heading in the right direction.

OTHER GOALS

1) Practice my bass guitar

2) Learn Greek

I have not played my bass in awhile but last weekend I got the bug to do something musically creative. My cousin is in a band and I was on his Facebook page and listening to the music and it really motivated me to try my hand and do something musically. So I will practice my bass and maybe try to write some songs and I will probably join my church choir since I like to sing.

I still would like to learn Greek and I am proud to say that I know what "CTR" is in Greek. I wear a Greek CTR (Choose the Right) ring on my pinkie to remind me how I should live my life but I never knew what the Greek alphabet was. Now I know, it is Delta, Tau, Sigma. So I am learning Greek!

I guess I shouldn't be too bummed. I completed more than I thought I did and I still have 6 months to get the rest done.

Winning Ain't Easy

Day 182

It is hard to believe that it is May 1st already. I am glad though, May is usually one of my favorite months. Spring is definitely here, lots of cool movies come out, more family activities, Black and White Days (I'll cover that in another blog), Memorial Day and a ton of other fun stuff.

It has only been May for 12 hours and already May is starting out on a good step. Last month I participated in ScriptFrenzy. It was a writing challenge where I write a 100 page script (movie, TV, musical, comic) in a month.

And yesterday I crossed the finish line at 102 pages so that means I won!

It was a lot of fun, much more fun than I thought it would be. I have never written a script before, I tried one time and found the whole thing intimidating. It was a lot more work than I thought but this time I used an online script program than made the whole thing painless. The more I worked with the program the easier and then the more fun it became.

It was a total vanity project. I wrote a Marvel comic book based on the return of my favorite character Banshee and it dealt with the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight set during the events of Dark Reign. Like I said, pure vanity.

I did learn a couple of things. I had plotted most of this comic months before and that really helped out a lot. And the times it became difficult was when I had no idea where the story was going to go. But once I figured out how to end it, it was just a fun matter of getting from Point A to Point B. Next time I do this I will make sure that I have all of it plotted out in advance. I also appreciate those writers that write with a large cast of characters. It was hard making sure that they all had some face time and there were a few times where I totally forgot them completely.

What I enjoyed the most was reading up on these characters and doing some research. All of the characters I used had some sort of history together and it was a hoot reconnecting some of them. And some of the characters I used were long forgotten people and it was a lot of fun bringing them back and making themselves useful.

I am glad that it is over. Doing this and my blog really zapped a lot of my time but I felt it was important for me to learn. I would love to be a writer and it is these exercises that help out a lot. You do learn quickly what you are capable of and what you do rather well along with what your weaknesses are.

I HIGHLY encourage anyone that has a story to say or wants to try their writing skills to do this challenge next year. You won't regret it and you will feel that you accomplished something. Also keep in mind that the next NaNoWrMo is coming up this November. Get thinking about a story and get it ready for a month of hard work, pulling your hair out and writing! Seriously folks, if you have always wanted to write, try these out. You will not regret it!

April Day(s) of Reckoning

Day 164

It feels like forever since I did one of these columns. And that may or may not be a good thing. Doing these columns certainly makes me take stock and see if I had improved any. Having to post them in such a public arena really makes me want to complete these goals.

And when it comes to New Year's Resolutions and goals, do not guarantee anything or you will look pretty silly later on. I guaranteed last time that I would have officially completed the novel. I have one month (I hope) before my coupon expires to get my book published and I really need to push it now. But I guarantee nothing. Except for the fact that I will finish off my little chapter.

I need to guarantee more like the way Broadway Joe Namath guarantees.

WRITING:

I am still working on the novel. Wait, let me rephrase that. I am going to work on finishing my novel. Which means I need to get ahead on my ScriptFrenzy project and on this blog. If I can double up some blog entries and get a few pages cranked out on my script, I can finish the novel.

My ScriptFrenzy project is progressing and is a lot more fun than I thought it would be. The Scripped.com software is pretty awesome and makes scripting a lot more easier than I thought it would be. So far I am up to 41 pages out of the goal of 100 by the end of the month. Some days I can only do a few pages but some days are better than others and I can put out 10 pages or so. I will definitely do this again next April.

The blog is still going strong even though the last few weeks have been hard. I just don't know what to blog about anymore and I have to admit that I am getting lazier about writing too. Some stuff I want to blog about just takes forever to type! But I really shouldn't complain, this has been a lot of fun.

READING:

I finished this book a few days ago and it had to be one of the best autobiographies about professional wrestling I have ever read. It was engaging, funny, sad and motivational. Bret was one of the most famous and successful wrestler but then even his career was marred with heartache and unbelievable trials, in and out of the ring. Two of his brothers passed away tragically when they were young, close family members bickered and now they are no longer close, the injuries sustained by his friends and of course the famous Montreal Screwjob where in front of a national audience and in his homeland of Canada was lied to and he lost his World title by his own boss. But even in all the tribulation he still kept his head high and worked through a stroke. The amount of pain and loss this man faced makes me look at my own life. I could go on and on about this.

I am not sure what to read next. I still have Veeps to finish off but I am ahead in my book reading schedule. I have read 4 books this year already so I could take the rest of the month off.

Exercise and Eating Right
Ugh, I don't want to talk about this. With Easter I have pigged out on junk food like nothing else. So I have not been eating all that great. And this last week I barely exercised because I have not been feeling well. But I did exercise today and yesterday so I am getting back in the groove.

Lately for exercising I have been running up to the Logan Temple and walking around the block. It is great because it has quite an uphill (which I run every time) and it is beautiful to look at. I went walking around and running up the uphill portion when I noticed my neighbor running around it also. And boy did she run it, she must have lapped me a couple of times! So now the goal by the end of summer is to be able to run around it without tasting blood and feeling the spectre of death come upon me!

I have not done any drawing lately but I might pull out the drawing pad and do some doodling. Chances are I will be plotting my script instead since that goal needs to be done by the end of the month.

March Day(s) of Reckoning Part II

Day 148

I am going into my fourth month of my New Year's Resolutions and it feels like I have been doing them for YEARS. Time does fly but when it comes to these goals, time is dragging.

These last two weeks have been a ton better. I think having to blog about what I have done has helped me be more accountable and more aware. Part of me feels bad for those that follow my blog since I am sure this bores the snot out of you.

So let's get to it!

WRITING:

As many of you know already, I am starting a new writing challenge called Script Frenzy. I am looking forward to this new challenge and hope it helps hone my writing skills. It starts April 1st but I have been spending some time plotting and figuring out where I want to take this story.

I still have not yet completed my last insert into the Vessel. But that WILL be done this week. I guarantee it!

READING:

Last week, I felt horrible by not doing one single iota of reading. I certainly have changed that these last two weeks. I have read two books and I am on my way to completing my fourth ahead of schedule.

This book was an easy sell. Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite characters and I was feeling nostalgic so this book was right up my alley. DeFalco (the author) interviews about ten writers and artists about working on Spider-Man. This book is not a Marvel book so these creators really could let their feelings be known. Reading these types of books really inspire me to write. The part I enjoyed the most was reading about the Clone Saga. For those that don't know, this will go down in history as the WORST Spider-Man story ever (it lasted for years) but hearing the behind-the-scenes stuff was cool. The creators really thought that had something in that story but it quickly derailed when Sales and Marketing got involved.

I also started and completed this book by Warren Ellis. Ellis is one of my favorite comic book writers and this was his first novel. What I like about him is his cast of characters and how they are very unique. The plot was about a guy searching for the real US Constitution and who's hands it passed through. It was pretty violent and filled with stuff that I hope I never come across in real life. Definitely not for the weak of heart. I definitely like his comic books better and probably only because it is filtered down. Still, a fun and imaginative book.

The next book I am currently reading is the autobiography of Bret "The Hitman" Hart. He was a famous professional wrestler and this chronicles his life. He was a smart man, he kept audio diaries when he was wrestling just so he could write a book later in life. So far the book is excellent. Again, I like behind-the-scenes stuff and this is filled with it. A lot of funny stories; especially about the time his dad Stu would take perspective wrestlers down to the Dungeon and beat the tar out of them. In one case Stu was 65 years old and he made this one kid (who thought he was awesome) bawl like a baby because of the pain.

Exercise and Eating Right
I exercised most of the days, only missing one sessions. Unfortunately my weight was off a bit. We splurged last weekend and now I am suffering for it. No treats until Easter except for a few rare exceptions. But even then, I can only have treats in moderation. And since the weather has been nice, I have been running up to the Logan Temple and walking a few times around it. That gets the heart going since it is on a pretty big hill.

Every Tuesday during Lost I have been doing some drawing. More than likely next time I will be doing some storyboards for my script.

So not a bad two weeks.

By the way, I keep forgetting to thank Milton for the tip on cheap Creme Eggs. I got a bunch of those "gross" little things. Too bad I cannot eat them until Easter!