Favourite Music

I'm a music junkie. If music was crack, I'd have been in (and kicked out of) rehab about eight billion times.

I always love seeing what other people are listening to. I find that it often makes me try something new or rekindles my love of a certain song or band.

So, from my giant music file folder, here are my current favs:

BNL - Wind It Up ("I was a baby when I learned to suck, but you have raised it to an art form") (And in another parenthesis, who didn't think 'If I had a million dollars... I'd do coke' when they heard that Steven Page was arrested? Come on! Admit it!)

Plain White Tees - Hey There Delilah

Jason Mraz - I'm Yours

Amy Winehouse - Love Is A Loosing Game

Backstreet Boys - Close My Eyes (DON'T JUDGE ME!!! :P)

BNL - Break Your Heart (Rock Spectacle)

Beatles - Black Bird

Blue Rodeo - Five Days In May

Boys To Men - Four Seasons of Love

Boston - More Than A Feeling

Corinne Bailey Ray - Girl Put Your Records On

CSNY - Suite Judy Blue Eyes

Finger Eleven - Talking To The Walls

Garth Brooks - Shameless

Hanson - Penny And Me (Another one from the 'don't judge me!' category)

INXS - Never Tear Us Apart

Jim Croce - Time In A Bottle

Justin Timberlake - My Love

Katy Perry - You're So Gay

Lenny Kravitz - It Ain't Over Till It's Over

The Whole Moulin Rouge Soundtrack

Neil Diamond - Holly Holy

Neil Young - Harvest Moon

Paul McCartney - Vanilla Sky

Trews - Hold Me In Your Arms

Tracy Champman - The Promise

Robbie Williams - Freedom

Despite my age, I seem to listen to a lot of classic songs/artists. I figure that if people are still listening to the song/artist thrity years later, it's probably because it's really good.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fungus

Music: Plain White T's - Hey There Delilah

I had an 'aha!' moment today over something that I knew about in theory but not in practicality. I'm not sure if that sentence is correct, but I think you get what I mean.

So, every instructor I've ever had has told me that if you have the time, you should always let your work sit for a few days before editing so that you can read it almost as a first time reader and pick up errors.

I had been working quite a bit on a screenplay and I was getting so frustrated with the errors in it that they became all that I could see. I put it away for about a week and re-read it today. Instead of finding new errors, I found that the time away from the script allowed me to see the parts of it that I really liked again. I could still see the things I wanted to change, but they weren't all that I saw. I totally remembered why I loved the story so much and all of the things that I love about how I wrote it, not just the things I hate. It totally made me more gung-hoe (is that actually a word?) about putting more work into it to fix the errors.

Putting your work away and pulling it out later to fix errors is a good thing. But pulling it out and going 'hey, I really like that!' feels so much better.

Smart Humour

I love the smart humour of Frasier. One of my absolute favorite episodes is on right now -- the one where Frasier decides to endorse a politician after his Dad endorses one he doesn't agree with only to find out that the dude believes he was abducted by aliens. My favorite scene is at the end when the news helicopter buzzes his apartment. My second favorite scene is Frasier filming his commercial. Hysterical! 'Phil Paterson, the sane choice -- oh God, I'm burning up!'

Shark Week!

It's like Christmas. Shark Week on The Discovery Channel! Wee!

Is it just me or is that chick on Daily Planet just a little annoying? I used to watch Daily Planet every day... it was my daily geek news... now? I flick past it. I think she's just a little too Entertainment Tonight for my tastes. And over done. That too.

I'm watching some dork create a feeding frenzy with reef sharks (using a frozen fish 'chunksicle') to see if they'll be be more likely eat him in the light or in the dark. Wacko! I love Shark Week.

Last night I was watching Space and caught one of my favorite SG1 episodes. It was the second part of the one where Daniel gets kidnapped and ends up in Honduras. Dammit, but Daniel is hot in that season. So is MacGyver. I know he's old, and to tell you the truth, now-a-days, he's really starting to look his age (which is almost 60), but for a few of those middle seasons he totally had that disease that makes him look better the older he gets. I didn't much dig the mullet on MacGyver... but mid series Jack? It's so wrong, but he looks amazing.

Anyways... it's actually my fav for more reasons than the hotness that is mid series Daniel Jackson. I always liked how the A and B story lines bounce back and forth in that one... I thought the episode was well told.

And my favorite part? It comes near the end. Daniel and Lee are telling Jack and his pal that the device is off. They muddle their way through saying that since it's stopped glowing, it must be off, all the while still looking a little weary of the device. Lee, who's holding the device, asks Daniel if he'd like to hold it. Daniel says no and uses his log-crutch to hobble a couple steps to the right, away from Lee and the device. It's something that's designed to get the audience to crack a grin. The best part is that someone on screen laughs as well. Jack's pal cackles and goes 'That's crazy!' which is exactly what the audience is thinking. I always loved that exchange.

I've been watching SG1 repeats on Space quite a bit lately (which isn't hard because I think SG1 is the only thing Space shows). That counts as Canadian TV, right? :P Produced in Canada, anyway. I watched a good three seasons of it when it was first run... starting with the Jonas season (which is my favorite) and working my way up to Jack becoming a General. Watching it again has reminded me how amazing Amanda Tapping is. I saw 'Grace' today and was blown away. I also love how funny it is, but I think I've said that before. I'm a big believer in sci fi not taking itself too seriously.

From The Cheesy Songs That Make Me Cry Catagory...

We were talking about this one at work today and how Neil Diamond is amazing. Seriously. I wish I was kidding. These are the conversations that people in radio have. We commiserate over Neil Diamond.

This video is a double whammy because I bawled my eyes out during Brian Orser's CBC Life and Times doc 'The Silver Lining'. That man tears up more than a pregnant overly hormonal woman and it just hits you right in the tear ducts.

Anyway, I saw in an interview that this was Brian Orser's mom's favorite song and favorite program of hers. It has special meaning to him now because she's long since passed away.

Training vs. Writing

I'm training for A Major Athletic Event. Part of me wonders why the hell anyone would inflict this sort of torture on themselves. The other part of me feels really good about achieving new goals and pushing myself. This means I've had little time to write. I feel really bad... like I've cheated myself. This was supposed to be my summer of writing and I haven't dedicated as much time as I would have liked to writing. It's no one else's fault but my own... but it still sucks.

I'm using this Major Athletic Event as a stepping stone to staying in shape all year long. See, I do a ton of winter sports. Hockey, figure skating, skiing, boarding, etc. This means that come spring, I'm usually in amazing shape. The down side of this (besides melting into a pool of blubber every spring) is that in the fall, when I'm gearing up to be active once again, I'm probably in the worst shape I've been in all year. Meaning that getting started with all my winter sports is absolute hell. Hell! Last winter, I think I was so sore after my first week of skating that I almost cried. Seriously. I think I also almost cried on the ice because I couldn't do anything right. So, I'm getting in shape nice and early.

The good thing about being a figure skater as a child is that I'm pretty educated in how to train myself. As a skater, you spend the majority of your time training on your own. The time you spend with a coach really is minuscule in the great scheme of things. So, I know what I need to do and I know how to push myself on my own. The problem comes when I try to put theory into practice. I've done it in the past, so it's not like I read a 'self training' text book and headed to the gym, but it's still not easy.

When I was skating with a coach, at least I had a few moments of them screaming at me from across the ice to pick up my arms or get my ass off the ice. Now? Not so much. I find myself hearing my Australian figure skating coach screaming bloody murder about not being able to see my legs or something similar. It seems to get me going.

Anyways... back on topic. I haven't been writing as much as I should. I've been doing a lot of re-reading and editing, but it's just not the same. I guess it's kind of like working out... pushing myself is easy in theory, but in practice, it's not as easy as I would have thought. And I don't have any Australian writing coaches to visualize :P

Whatever. I'll get back on track.

My sleepy time tea is kicking in. Have a good night!

Finally...

I have my first 4/4 weekend for CFL picks. Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, BC and Edmonton. Was that so hard? My picks have been abysmal so far this season... mostly because Winnipeg has also been abysmal. They finally win a game and I get all my picks right.

Another 'oy' weekend. Tired. I'm too old for this kind of 'oy'. I watched some chick get wicked intoxicated on Friday in morbid fascination because I knew I'd have to share a tent with her later. I would go into more detail but she's my cousin's step sister and even though this blog is anonymous, I wouldn't want to embarrass her... she could barely go back to the party site to get her car because she was so embarrassed. The whole situation is another example of why I choose not to drink.

I was thinking about the whole alcohol culture of my age group. Mostly, there's one super drunk person at every party and if you're lucky, they're amusing and not crazy. The whole 'waiting until the next time I can get trashed' thing makes me feel really sad for the people who live that way. Because if you need to alter your brain chemistry to feel like you're having any sort of fun, I feel bad for you. I look at people who drink an awful lot and I just feel like they're missing out on life. They might think they're having a ton of fun partying it up and getting completely wrecked every night, but in reality, they're missing out on so much... and living your life in anticipation of (and planning out) the next time you're going to drink until you puke is a really sad existence.

Finally!

The Bombers finally won a game.

Thank God.

It's so stupid... they're basically the same team that made it to the Grey Cup last year and yet they've sucked all season. Is Steagle back? O'Manhoney finally punting? No. They put in Ryan Dinwiddie.

I really don't care what finally got them a number other than zero in the win column as long as I don't have to see 0-5 in the Free Press tomorrow.

So I've Been Lazy

I don't know what's up with me, but I've been super lazy lately. I think it's because I got my statement from school the other day meaning that summer is almost over and I won't have any time to be lazy soon.

Now, this might make it sound like I've decided to go back to school. I haven't. I was actually looking at jobs in Vancouver today. So, no decision yet. I wasn't going to look at moving so soon, but there's a few opportunities that have come up that are kinda rare. I'm not counting my chickens before they've hatched, but even deciding whether to apply or not is a big decision for me. Which I haven't made yet.

I'll I've decided is that I'm indecisive.

The Dart Night Part Trois

Here be spoilers. You've been warned.

Food for thought:

Would the hype around Heath Ledger's performance be so huge if he wasn't, well, deceased? I think that's a question that many people are pondering right now, but no one really wants to come out and say it. Well, I'm saying it.

I'm not questioning that Heath's performance was amazing. It was. But it was amazing because it was such a stretch from anything we ever thought Heath was capable of. It's not just that the Joker is amazing. It's that Heath's performance of the Joker is amazing for him. Could someone else have been just as great? Well, probably. The Joker and Heath both = amazing. But, Oscar worthy? I guess we'll see.

As different as Heath's Joker is to Nicholson's, I actually saw a bit of Jack's Joker in Heath. It was right near the end. When you watch the movie (or if you've seen it already) see if you can figure out what scene I'm talking about.

The fundamentals of the Joker are the same. He lies. He's crazy. He does things without a real purpose because he's crazy. But they're also very different. I actually wouldn't say that Heath's Joker is much darker. I would say that the movie casts him that way. The character itself is still just as maniacle and just as silly. We see him in a different light because of the tone of the movie. The differences are more stark in terms of violence I would think. Nicholson's Joker was much more tame (or what we see of him is much more tame). Heath's Joker carries a knife and we see him kill people. This is not a kid's Joker. This Joker is geared much more towards adults -- a real villian.

What I thought was a great story point has been taken away, though. Instead of having killed Bruce's parents, the Joker kills Batman's love interest and it doesn't come until pretty late in the movie. I found the whole 'killed Bruce's parents' dance with the devil thing a little more hard hitting. Also, in Nicholson's portrayal of The Joker, Batman literally creates Joker. In The Dark knight, it's more of a figurative creation, which I found interesting but slightly less effective.

In conclusion? The reason Heath's Joker is being lauded? It's because after watching A Knight's Tale, this performance isn't anything anyone ever expected from Heath Ledger. It's so much more than anyone thought he could pull off. It's a damn shame that he's not here to enjoy his transition into an actor that's seen as someone who can pull almost anything off -- a true talent. It's a shame that we've finally been exposed to his amazing talent just as he's been taken away from us.

I thought I'd find seeing Heath Ledger on the big screen a little creepy and sad. It wasn't at the time, but now... I'm sad for him. He deserved so much more than what he got.

Oh... and as for my favourite Batman? It's still Michael Keaton. Why? Because you totally don't expect him to be Batman. Also, he's not over the top as Batman. I found him to be brooding but not overly so. Much more 'normal' that Christian Bale's portrayal. To me, he brought both the personality of Bruce Wayne and the personality of Batman to the table while keeping them both different from each other yet believable. When I picture Batman, it'll always be Michael Keaton I see. I think he was a brilliant casting choice. No one thought he could pull it off... but that was sort of the point, right? Also, his 'Batman Voice' didn't make me crack up. Oh, Michael Keaton... come back!

Gah!

I figure skate in the winter. Up until I was in my early twenties, I would skate the normal sessions, but for the last few years, I've used Adult Skate instead. There are a few reasons why:

A) If I skate a junior/intermediate session, the ice is littered with kids who sometimes have no business being outside of CanSkate. I'm much bigger and I move much faster and I don't want to maim any of them. Also, children tend to follow me around and try to talk to me. I like kids. But I'm paying an arm and a leg for ice time. I don't want to become a babysitter.

B) On the flip side, if I skate a senior session, there are usually novice/junior/senior competitors who are looking at being the next Kurt Browning or Kristi Yamaguchi or whatever. These skaters move like lightning and are much faster and carry much more power than me. I don't want any of them to maim me. You may have seen Stars On Ice and noticed that, wow, those skaters move pretty quick! Just try sharing ice with someone anywhere close to that level. You think you know where they are and then BAM, they're right on top of you.

C) I think this is the worst. A combination of A and B. The club is small and has one 'free skate' session. I spend the whole session trying not to maim or be maimed and watching other kids get creamed.

So. I skate in the Adult Skate program. Some of the people still move a little slow and are prone to being knocked over, but at least they have around the same mass as me and I won't hurt them too bad. There usually aren't any Kurt Browning wannabe's on the ice.

Currently, I skate with a club that only has an hour of Adult ice a week. This isn't enough for me. So, I checked out my section's web site and clicked on the list of clubs that offer adult programs, looking to pick up a couple more hours. About 50 clubs popped up. Now, I know that not all of these offer dedicated Adult ice. Most of them just allow Adult skaters and provide opportunities to progress through the Adult test stream, but don't offer separate ice time.

To narrow down the list, I emailed the section asking them to tell me which clubs offer dedicated ice. The section should have a list of what club offers what because they have to sanction all of the programs. And, not to sound like a tool, but I help pay these peoples salaries through my Skate Canada fees. They should help me out.

I got an email back within seconds. What does it say? That I should contact every club on the list with my inquiry on my own. Every club! When the section has a list of programs offered at their disposal. Basically, this person was too lazy to flip through some file folders and give me any sort of meaningful information. I couldn't believe it! What do we have a section office for if they can't answer such a basic question?

It amazes me that such stupid people manage to keep good jobs. To me, things are simple. If you can't/won't do your job, then you shouldn't have it. But somehow, these stupid people seem to stumble through life with good jobs and no one raises an eyebrow or bats an eyelash! How do these people continue to work? Who keeps hiring them? Well, other than Skate Canada I guess. :P

I'm off to blanket email a whole sections worth of skating clubs because my section rep is lazy. Wish me luck. After that, I'll start calling the ones that don't have websites/email.

Life And Stuff...

It took me a long while to get to the point that I was ok with my life at this point. The reason? It took me a long time to understand that being ok with where my life was didn't mean that I had to accept it and stay there.

Have I made bad decisions? Sure. I've made a lot of decisions that I wish I could change, but in reality, they are what they are and I have to move forward. There are many things I wish I had done, many things I wish I hadn't done, and many places I wish my life had led me.

But what I have is this. And I need to be okay with that. I can look ahead and change the future, but I can't change the past. In order to change my future, I have to spend less time being maliciously unhappy with the choices I made. I made them. That's it. This is where my life is. And I have to move forward.

I think that many people spend a lot of time pondering (and hating) the choices they made and being angry and upset. Hey, I was one of them. The thing we all need to realize is that frame of mind gets us absolutely nowhere.

It's impossible to change past mistakes. We should look at them, learn from them, and then let them go. If your life isn't in a place that you want to stay in, that's okay. You can change that, but not by dwelling on the path that got you to where you are. And being okay with where your life is, accepting the choices you made, isn't about continuing to live that path. It's about opening yourself up to change.

I truly believe in luck. But I think that luck is earned. It's not bestowed on people who sit in a holes and ponder how they got there instead of how to get out.

Weekend Warrior

From Joseph Mallozzi's blog:

Fan writes: “what is up with carson becketts hair? is it a wig? and his makeup makes him look like he has had a facelift. is this a deliberate choice to separate his look *the clone* from the original?”

Answer: The make-up is no different. The hair is a bit of an issue. There was no attempt on the part of the production to differentiate his look.

I have to admit that I was wondering the same thing. Now, back to better topics...

I've broken my 'blog a day' thing. The reason? Biiiiggggg party last night. Oy. I ended up sharing a hotel room with a guy I've known for years (there were two beds!) and it's funny... you think you know someone well until you sleep in the same room. He spent all night making weird noises. Apparently, some time during the night, the cops were called to deal with an altercation outside our room. I didn't even hear it. Also, around 7:30-8:00 AM, some dork stood in the hallway banging on his buddy's door, trying to get him up for breakfast. Buddy wasn't having any of it and all the friend succeeded in doing was waking up the rest of the floor. Usually, I would just leave these situations alone and maybe call the front desk, but I was soooo angry that I actually went out there are ripped him a new one. For me, that's unheard of.

Also, the friend I went with insisted on driving. Now, I don't drink, so I don't mind driving. Around 2:30 AM, said friend comes up to me and says he's going to leave. Since he's my ride, I leave with him. He heads out of the parking lot and out onto the street, saying that since he was drinking, he's not driving. Now, I applaud his smart choice. My issue? Why the hell wouldn't he let me drive his car? I'm stone cold sober. And, why would he volunteer to drive if he knew that he was going to drink? (And even if the decision was made at the party, why would he volunteer to go with me and drive knowing that under no circumstances would he allow me to drive his car back to the hotel?)

So, we ended up wandering back to our hotel in the middle of the night in a strange city that neither of us knew very well. It was a cool evening and I was wearing a slinky dress while trekking across town in heels. Well, lesson learned. Next time, I'll be driving and this friend will be staying at home.

Needless to say, I'm freaking exhausted. I slept most of the afternoon and I'm sure I'll be passing out again shortly.

Nothing much got done on the writing front this weekend. Some ideas were tossed around in my head, but that's about it.

Dark Knight Part Deux

I went to see The Dark Knight this evening. It was good. Go see it. Christian Bale's Batman voice cracks me up, but it was still good.

More details later. Have to get to bed early.

Dark Knight

I get to see The Dark Knight tomorrow. So do many people. But most will have to sit in crowded theaters and jockey for seats. I won't. Sometimes, my job has really good perks.

I just got a new phone from Bell. I got the uber five plan. It allows unlimited text, local and long distance to five different people. Most of my family lives in another province. This plan is gold to me. You can change the numbers online at anytime. So, I set all of my uber five to my most called long distance numbers. I don't talk on my phone before six anyways, so early unlimited evenings/weekends takes care of the local calls. I'm afraid that Bell is gonna realize that I'm totally taking advantage of this plan and take it away from me. My bills with Rogers often ranged into the $80-$90 range. My Bell bill is under $40. Go me!

Canadian TV

I've been trying to watch a bit of Canadian TV lately. I mean, I live here, why not watch it? Plus, if I wanna work in Canadian TV, watching some might be a plus :P

I couldn't get into 'Traders'. I dunno. I just found it... odd. Crazy Rodney McKay. Everyone gets screwed. People die. Yay. I know a lot of people love it, and I can see why, but it's just not my thing. It's kind of like looking at a piece of art and not wanting it hanging in my home but recognizing the talent of the artist. Just not for me.

I watched a bit of 'Little Mosque' today. In principal, I like the idea of the show. I just find it a little... I don't know... over done? Unrealistic? Also, there was a whole conversation about ginger ale in today's episode that carried over to another scene and just wasn't funny for me. I hate to admit it, but I don't get a lot of what happens culturally on the show and it throws me off and pulls the rest of the story down with it. I'm not saying that the average Canadian can't find something to identify with on a diverse show, but it's not happening for me with Little Mosque.

Some of the things I liked? I thought that older bald guy was amazing and I thought his wife was hilarious. I wasn't too into the Imam and the younger Doctor. I found the other older guy to be a little too much of a characture. Same with Fatima and both of the kids.

I would guess that my favorite Canadian show ever would probably be 'Road to Avonlea'. Does that count? Because it did air on the Disney Channel or something, right? As for something that's on currently, 'Corner Gas' would top the list. I love Corner Gas. I think it's brilliant. I also think it's brilliant to end it next season. Why? Because Corner Gas has done things that no other Canadian show has done... it's gotten people to watch it (:P). Lots of people. By being simple and funny and not 'artsy' or 'deep' but still unique. It's just fun. It's just a good show. And I think I understand the want for it to be remembered for those things instead of being canceled going into it's 11th season. I get that.

As for other Canadian shows that I love... 'This Hour...', 'Rick Mercer', 'Daily Planet', 'Guinea Pig', etc. I watch a lot of Discovery Channel but I have to admit that I kind of miss the old days when they used to be a bit more educational. DC Civilization is also one of my favs, although I can only watch it at my parents' house because I don't get it because my roommate chose the satellite package.

No Way!

Just read on Perez that STEVEN PAGE was arrested for possession of COCAINE! That just blows me away. No pun intended.

Didn't they just release a CD of kids music? Doesn't he have kids?

I dunno if it's just me, but I never, ever looked at BNL and went 'yep, coke addicts'. I hope this is somehow not true, but hey, cops found him at a kitchen table with coke.

Now, I'm not naive. I know lots of musicians do drugs. But BNL? Plus, coke just seems to be taking it to another level. It's not like he was found with pot.

On a personal level, things like coke and heroin and meth scare the crap out of me and I can't understand why anyone would risk taking them.

On a related note, I saw 'The Cleaner' on A&E tonight. It was okay. I thought it took too long to get going and it wasn't as action packed as I thought it would be. There's more internal drama (with wives and stuff) than drug drama (the people who are supposed to get 'clean'). Maybe this will change as the series progresses. I thought Benjamin Bratt did a great job, though.

Almost Missed A Day!

Can you believe that I almost missed a day? I don't know how long I'll be able to keep up this 'daily' thing. I mean, I only have so many stories to tell!

I haven't been writing much in the last couple days. I've been training for A Major Athletic Event for the last little while and it's getting a little... intense right now. But, in going through the screenplay I just finished, I found a few major things that I now don't like. Like the whole ending. Like one of the supporting characters who controls a the Big Event. I don't like her and I don't want her in the story... I think I want to change the person she's most linked with and that would mean completely scrapping her but then the Big Event would not happen because she (or someone like her... who couldn't be in the story if I changed up the character she's connected with) is the reason for the Big Event.

I also am considering scrapping about twenty pages right at the start and having the beginning come a bit later in the story that I'd thought. The plus of this would be that I'd have more time to play out another ending... but the minus is that some of my favorite funny moments happen during those first twenty pages. But are they really necessary? I'm not sure.

Overall, I'm still happy with the story and the way it tells itself. (At least during the middle!) I just think that the ending could probably be better served by being a bit longer instead of 'oh, okay, let's wrap things up' and there's a character I don't like. And I wanna scrap the first twenty pages. Other than that, it's perfect and I love it :P

The person who lives below me just got Guitar Hero. Pray for my sanity.

Working For The Weekend

So I just got my paycheque. I don't actually get to cash it until tomorrow, but I kinda like having it in my wallet on the 14th of every month because it's the one and only day that it's mine.

See, tomorrow, I'll bring it to the bank and it'll disappear into the black hole that is the bank and then I'll pay bills and then it won't be mine anymore.

For this one day, I can look at the $XXXX and feel accomplished. Tomorrow, most of it will belong to someone else and I'll be back to working for next month's expenses.

It really sucks when you sit down and think about it, doesn't it?

Get Smart

Saw 'Get Smart' this afternoon. Freaking hilarious. It was stupid and silly and I laughed until I almost peed my pants. I have to say that I was a bit weary of it being just stupid and silly without the funny, but it certainly made me laugh.

I don't want to give the whole thing away, so I won't say much more. Just know that it's funny and you should see it. Now.

Can't wait for 'The Dark Knight'. The trailer was in the previews for 'Get Smart' and it was one that I hadn't seen. Made me want to see it now. Should be good.

I gave myself notes on a screenplay I'd done a draft of and then left it for awhile. I think I'm going to head back to it now. It's had a good week and change to settle. I may be bald tomorrow. Just warning you.

Chuckles

This made me laugh...

I checked out GateWorld today because I didn't watch Atlantis last night (is it even on yet in Canada? I don't have a clue) and I wanted to see how the season finale ended up (it was a cliff hanger last season). I'm not sure if I'll be watching Atlantis this season, but that cliff hanger has been on my mind for months.

So, anyways, I head over to GateWorld and on their main page is an interview with David Hewlett (Rodney McKay). I interviewed David last year (which I partly blame for getting me hooked on Atlantis) so I clicked on the interview and started to read. I laughed so hard. But not for the reasons you might think.

David goes off on tangents about Australia, boa constrictors, breast milk, spawning film crews, hair, his love for Jewel Stait, his pot belly, and many other things.

You can read the interview at http://www.gateworld.net.

The reason this made me laugh so hard was because I had the exact same sort of interview. Now, David is super nice, very personable, intelligent, etc, but he does have the tendency to ramble.

I remember asking the Atlantis PR person what sort of interview he was. She said (and I'm paraphrasing here) 'great, but you'll have to tell him to shut up', and I laughed it off having no clue that she was being quite literal.

Now, none of this is meant to make it look like I'm a huge David Hewlett hater. I thought the show turned out great, my listeners enjoyed his banter, and I really enjoyed talking to him. And hey, it got me to watch his show! It's just... funny. I thought I could talk someone's ear off.

I was actually quite glad he talked a lot though, because his PR team never did send me a copy of the movie I was supposed to talk him about. Yep. I never saw the movie. I was terrified that I was going to sound like a complete idiot. So, David sort of saved my ass :P

I've had the opportunity to interview many people. Athletes, celebrities, scientists, etc. It's always a crap shoot. Although the majority of them turn out okay, some interviews turn out boring. Some turn out short. Some are just crappy. People like David keep them interesting.

Spec Questions

Does anyone know where you can find animation scripts?

Also... I'm planning on staying in Canada for the time being, so most people seeing my work will be Canadian. Can I spec a Canadian Show? Say... Corner Gas? Ratings for that show are CRAZY here in Canada and it's not like I'm specing something no one watches... but is specing Canadian TV a no-no?

I have no clue.

Help?

Blah

My eyes have been burning all day. Why? I pulled my work computer apart today and blew the dust out with a can of compressed air. Dust went EVERYWHERE. And then I had to sit in it all day.

My Bombers lost tonight. Badly. That sucks. In the CFL pool this year, I have TWO points. TWO! So far this week, all of my picks have been wrong and last week, I was 0-4. I'm usually pretty good with the CFL pool, but I think that people we weren't expecting to win are somehow winning. Like Hamilton. And Toronto. Even Saskatchewan to an extent.

Anyways, I really don't have much to say today... so I'm not going to say much of anything!

Draft...

Well, I just finished a major edit of the script I'm working on. It actually wasn't so major. It just felt that way because I'm stupid.

I always feel the need to print my first draft out so that I can actually scribble all over it and make notes (trees everywhere are crying). The only problem comes when it's time to get all of those notes and changes into FD.

Yah... it took me all evening. To change grammatical stuff, etc. Boooorrrriiiiinnnnnggggg.

In Accordance With..

the weather in my part of the woods. Raining for days. Storms like crazy. Plus, a Canadian spin on it a la Kurt Browning.

Celebrity Rehab

I just finished watching an episode of Celeb Rehab. It made me want to puke. Look, I'm no saint, but in all honesty, I can count the number of times I've put illegal substances in my body on one hand and not use my thumb and I've never been all that high. As a rule, I don't drink to the point of being drunk. Ever. Actually, I usually don't drink at all. Why? Because I don't like the feeling of being not in control of all of my faculties. BUT, as I said, I'm not a saint. So, I would never judge anyone for choosing to drink or whatever...

BUT

Celebrity Rehab is crazy. Those people are so screwed up and it just breaks my heart! At the same time, though, they're all using their addictions for fame and that makes me a little sick. It's an odd feeling... feeling sorry for them and thinking they're fame whores at the same time.

Part of me is completely disgusted and wants to never watch the show again. The other part of me is kinda wrapped up in it.

I watch Intervention. I feel sad when I see the people on the show. I cry during every episode. But never do I feel like they're pimping their addictions out for a pay cheque. Somehow, Intervention is just different. I watch it and want my little brother to watch so that he'll never be like that, you know? Celeb Rehab? Not so much.

Life Stuff

Do you ever get that feeling where you learn something new and it makes doing the tasks it effects torture? Kinda like correcting a batting swing or skating technique? It feels uncomfortable and... silly.

Yah, I had that feeling today. I was airchecked (I work in radio. It's not a big secret.) today and the person who did it did a really good job. He gave me a ton of pointers, but it made doing my show hell because I was now aware of all the crap I was doing.

Luckily, I was VT-ing, and I think that's the best time to apply things learned in an aircheck because it gives you the option of starting over again if you get too flustered. Now, I don't recommend starting VTs over normally, but when you're trying to correct a bad behaviour, sometimes the best way to do it is to stop whenever you catch yourself doing it and start over. Also, if you end up feeling uncomfortable and sounding uncomfortable, you can - well - start over and not sound uncomfortable.

Radio is kind of like writing. You can pick out some of your own errors, but it isn't until you get someone else to look at your stuff that you realize how much you really suck.

So, anyways, work was hell. It was like poking a bruise all day.

AHHHH!!!!

Did that title get your attention? Hope so.

Sadly, this post is not as interesting as its title.

I've been watching a lot of cartoons lately. I love that I can call that 'research'. Take that genius cousin who loves Batman! Do you get to watch your favorite super hero while you search for the cure for cancer? I think not! HA!

~ahem~

For the record, my cousin is a genius who will no doubt save the world in some way. But I -- I -- get to watch cartoons.

I think people are geniuses (geni?) in many different ways. Just because I'm not going to save the world doesn't mean I'm any stupider than someone who will/did. It just means that my talents, sadly, lie elsewhere.

In a way I'm glad I don't make a living saving people/the world. That would be awful stressful, don't you think? Can you even imagine having your hand in someone's chest, massaging their heart? Having the ability to make a call and blow up the modern world? Working on a 'science project' that will stop us from being annihilated by an asteroid?

No, I'm completely happy where I am, thanks.

Sorry. My mind tends to wander to weird topics and my train of thought gets hard to follow at times. I'm like an overgrown three year old. But hey, I keep the people around me sharp as knives!

~Anon

PS I Love You

I saw P.S. I Love You a few weeks back and I cried throughout the whole thing. Granted, I was a liiittttlllleeee high. So what. I think I would have cried anyways.

Here's the thing... I find that lots of romancy stuff gets a little too cheesy and I find myself fearing that invisible line whenever I write something remotely romantic. I seriously laughed at 'You Had Me At Hello' and 'You Complete Me', so I can't use my own judgment because it's obviously skewed (I know people who cried at those lines). I laughed during A WALK TO REMEMBER! Although the end did make me cry.

Well, I cried at P.S. I Love You. So, obviously my heart isn't completely cold.

The question? How do you make sure that you don't cross that invisible line while still making things sob worthy? How do you make someone like me cry but not laugh? How do you make sure that most people don't laugh instead of cry?

I always found the whole squishy/sweet/lovey thing hard to pull off. Stupid invisible line! It needs a marker following it around like the hockey pucks on American TV (do they do that anymore?)!

I Almost Killed Someone With My Car Today

Okay, so I'm driving home today... zipping around the outskirts of town... and I'm in the right lane. Some dork cuts me off to avoid having to stop behind someone who's turning in the left lane. I switch into the left lane because he did one of those cut off and slow down deals. Then what happens? He cuts me off AGAIN to turn himself.

So, I shoulder check and try to get back into the right lane. Only, there's a big huge car in it. The poor guy lays on his horn and we barely miss colliding.

I think I'm usually a pretty good driver. I mean, maybe I drive a little fast at times, but I've never been in an accident, I actually slow down in playground/school zones, and I've only ever had one non parking ticket! But this time, I totally almost killed someone. I'd like to say I wasn't careless (I did shoulder check), but I obviously was. I could have hit this poor guy and it would have totally been my fault. I wanted to honk at him to get him to pull over just to apologize because I felt so bad.

How was your ride home?

TNG Reviews

I mostly love Wil Wheaton's reviews of TNG. Sometimes, I think he rips into the show just a tad to much, but they're pretty much hilarious. Here's a new one.

I used to watch TNG as a kid and I really liked it, so it's sometimes hard to read him tearing apart something that, as a kid, I loved. However, as an adult, I can see what he's talking about.

I'm not what you would call a huge sci fi fan, but I do like it. I guess I'm a picky sci fi fan. I watched TNG as a kid, I liked Voyager and I've heard good things about Enterprise, but I didn't like DS9. I'm not a huge fan of most of the movies, and I haven't ever managed to tune in for a whole episode of TOS. I'm pretty picky about what I'll watch... no Battlestar, no Buffy, no Star Wars, etc. I'm not sure where exactly it is that I draw the line... some things just don't float my boat I guess.

More recently, I've really enjoyed Stargate. I watched SG1 for a couple seasons. What I enjoyed most about it was that they embraced the cheesyness of sci fi and didn't try to hide it. Yes, the goa'ould were overdressed, pompus, and cheesy. And Jack O'Neill never missed an opportunity to point it out. Actually, it was when the show switched to a more sinister villian that I stopped watching.

I quite enjoy Atlantis. I watched the last season because it was pretty much the only thing running during the writer's strike. I absolutely fell in love with it. I actually think it's a bit more funny than SG1, but I'd say that I also don't get the same chemestry from the cast as I did with SG1. Maybe that's purposful. With SG1, they go off world, they fight, they go home and have beers. With Atlantis, the characters don't ever get to turn 'off'. They're constantly on Atlantis and while that might cause characters to bond, I'd also guess that it would cause tensions to continuously run high.

My point? Giant, vampire-esque villians who suck your life out through their hands are cheesy. It's best to just embrace it.

Recently, I've read 'The Android's Dream' by John Scalzi. It took me a long time to get through it, but I'm glad I finished it because I didn't see the ending coming at all. At all. I wouldn't say it was one of my favorite books (just a little on the weird side for me), but I can certainly recognise good writing, even if it isn't exactly my style.

I'm currently re-reading 'The Doom's Day Book' by Connie Willis. I read it for an English course years ago and loved it. I'm loving it again. It's a mix of sci fi and period. Great book. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. Basically, it's about a student, Kivrin, who goes back to the middle ages and, well, experiences things that they had been pretty sure weren't happening during the year they were sending her back to. In the present, people are dying and we have no clue why. Are the two linked? In any case, the whole 'we're all dying' thing makes it really hard for people in the present to go find Kivrin.

Next on my list? 'The Kite Runner', 'A Thousand Splendid Suns', and 'The Golden Compass'.

Corner Gas Part Deux

My fav Corner Gas episode so far? The one with The Big Dirty Hoe.

I'm sure whoever put this on youtube is a huge felon, but I'm just linking! If you like the show, go buy the DVD so I don't feel guilty.

No Readers? Great!

So, I've had about 50 people visit my blog since I started it.

Most people would be disappointed with that number, but I think it's great. Since no one is reading, it just gives me even more free reign to rant or post stupid things that no one cares about. Because, really, that's half the fun of keeping this blog.

I love Corner Gas. I think it's great. But, I just found out that it's even more great than I though it was! Because, yes, you can race COMBINES on their web site! If that's not Canadian, I don't know what is! Check it out HERE.

Oh. Wait. No one's reading but me. I guess I didn't need to post a link then. :P

Canadian Heritage

What I love about Canada is the fact that although most people are Canadian, they feel free to tag "and _____" at the end of that statement.

When I was little, I grew up Ukrainian dancing. This might sound odd to people who didn't grow up in a place like Winnipeg, but in Winnipeg, everyone Ukrainian dances. Even if you're not Ukrainian. Seriously.

Ukrainian dancing is insane. The parents are crazy. It's really, really hard. Teachers scream at you with accents using words you don't understand. It's really competitive -- where you dance means so much. Parents boast about where their kids have/do dance.

You're forced to wear horrendous costumes (although some of them are quite beautiful), have your hair ripped out by your mother in a form of torture called the french braid (which is then pinned up as bobby pins are stabbed into your scalp) and, of course, wear enough makeup to make a hooker blush.

Practices consist of spinning until you puke, wearing unflattering black body suites, and having to touch boys at an age when cooties really is a serious health threat. And, of course, there's the Ukrain-lish -- the Ukrainian version of Spanglish.

When you hit your mid teens, you end up looking for somewhere more performance based to dance. I spent my whole childhood in the same school... It was relatively sanely run, I had the same instructors, etc, and I actually ended up teaching there myself, so being booted out into the weird world of adult 'dance troops' (I'm so not even kidding) was a little insane.

I spent a little while with Zoloto . They were insane. Twelve hour dance workshops. They had a saying called "FBR" (Fucking Back Row) for dancers who didn't show up to three hour practices, three times a week. I still remember hearing (and remember, I'm sixteen years old):

"Anon, if you don't show up next practice, you'll be FBR for the rest of the season!"

Ha! Needless to say, I didn't end up staying there. My mom had to tell all her friends I'd let her down :(

I ended up dancing with Romanetz for the rest of high school and college. Although I didn't have the chance to travel with them, they've been all over the world and were super sane and had a great instructor by the name of Tom Mockery who'd spent time with Ruskelka (which I tried out for any never made).

The reason I'm telling this story? Because it's utterly ridiculous and filled with drama. I wish I could go into more detail about some of the insane behaviour I was privy to.

So, could this be another form of write what you know? Obviously, I'm not going to write a Ukrainian Dancing Spec, but I think I could use the ridiculousness and drama to inspire something else. Maybe I'll displace that drama and put it somewhere else.

Wanna see some little robots -- oops, I mean children -- like the ones I just described? The ones at the start of this video don't look older than TEN! CRAZY! They're followed up by Virsky (they're straight out of the hood, yo). Even after making fun of the whole lifestyle, this video is kind of crazy amazing.

1st Draft

I just finished the first draft of the spec screenplay I was working on. This is notable because it's the first major project I've finished in a long, long time.

I spent a fair amount of time planning and heavily (heavily!) outlining, so when I actually sat down to write it, it didn't take too long. It came in at 1:14 PM at 114 pages. Heh. I'm geekily amused by that. I celebrated with a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I'm about to continue the celebrations by cleaning. I always clean when I feel accomplished. Don't judge me!

I know there's a lot of work to do on it, but as far as first drafts go, I'm pretty happy with it. But, we'll see if that's still how I feel when I do a second draft. I'm going to go change some formatting that's been on my mind throughout the last few pages and then I'm going to let it ferment for a couple days before I start my second draft.

Honestly, I know a lot of it needs to be changed. But since I know that, it doesn't seem so daunting. Overall, I think the pacing is good and I'm happy with the dialogue, but there's points where I think things need to be tightened/tweaked. I know whole scenes will probably change/disappear/appear. Also, I think I need to better convey certain points. For example, we see one character complaining about an aspect of another character, but I don't think we see that second character being what the other character is complaining about enough. It's a case of the writer getting it, but the reader probably not getting it.

So, lots of changes to be made. But, I'm off to clean my bathroom!

Writing About Someone Who's Writing

I'm currently writing about someone who's writing. I had no clue how hard that would be. Not only do I have to tell my story, but I have to let my character let his characters tell their stories. It's like looking in a mirror with another mirror.

AHHHH!!!!

Okay. Just needed to get that out of my system.

Junk Food

I'm having an all around craptastic day. It's a mix of many things that made it that way, all of which I'd rather not get into.

Anyway, there is a point to me telling you I was having a crappy day and then not telling you why. Because I was having a crappy day, I went grocery shopping and bought a ton of junk food. A ton. I'm sitting here sipping Coke Zero (and trying not to think about what they do to it to make it zero calories) and pondering something a little odd.

When I got to the check out with my haul of treats, I was surprised at how cheap it was. Damn! I bought about as much as I do in a week (that's how bad my day was) and it was literally half the price I usually pay!

Now, I do eat mostly good, organic foods (not today!), and I know they're more expensive, but the price difference was still shocking.

I read an article awhile back about poor kids getting fat because their parents were having to choose between a bag of apples and eighteen cases of Kraft Dinner (I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but when you think about it, you can see how it would happen) and it made me really sad... but I didn't realize how true it was until today.

If I've got this right... way back when... everything was made from scratch. It didn't matter if you were poor. Now, both parents probably work, things are hardly ever made from scratch, healthy food is expensive, and the kids are suffering.

I can't imagine feeding my child (if I had one) nothing but KD because I honestly couldn't afford anything better. I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like.

I grew up in a pretty well off home. When I was really little, we were a little strapped for cash, but for most of my life, my parents lived down the street from houses that looked like castles and lived in a huge five level split with a pool in the back. I wouldn't say we were rich (we lived down the street from the castles, not in one), but I was definitely privileged.

My parents tried really hard to make sure my brothers and I knew that there were people who were struggling. They had me volunteer instead of work as a teen; took us to drop off presents at group homes at Christmastime; and, since my mom owned a gardening center, took us with them to the food bank at the end of the growing season with all of the extra tomato plants to see how grateful others were for what we couldn't sell.

But even after all of that education, I find myself struggling with the thought of KD vs. Apples and Whole Grains. I eat KD because I like it. I eat something better the next day.

I've been poor. Getting a job right out of college was tough and I struggled with crappy paying jobs for a couple years once I did manage to find a job. But even so, I've just had to worry about me. And if I really had been that broke, I have great parents who have the resources to make sure I have more to eat than hot dogs, KD, and cheap store bought perogies.

I hate that I struggle with the thought of this. I hate that I don't understand and can't imagine what it must feel like for families struggling to feed their kids.

Suddenly, my bag of chips and vat of dip doesn't look so good anymore.

Draaaaggggiiiiinnnnngggg

I'm at the point in my script where one of my characters has had a moment of realization. There's been quite a bit of conflict and he's just figured it out. Unfortunately, him figuring the whole thing out doesn't mean that it's been resolved because the other main character is still in a snit and won't recognize that he's being a jack ass. So, more conflict....

I think it's starting to drag. I'm not sure how to fix it. I think what's happened so far is necessary to the story, but I do recognize that it needs to be tightened up. I've kept the main characters from ranting angrily (for the most part) and tried to keep it like a tennis match instead of something like the Canadian Woman's Hockey Team taking on, oh, I don't know, Australia at the Olympics, but it still seems to drag.

I know this probably sounds horrible, but I think I'm going to let it dddrrrraaaagggg for the time being. Maybe I'll have a better idea of what needs to go/change once this draft is done. I know it's gotta change. I just don't know how.

Interesting Conversations...

The Day Job allows me to talk to really, really interesting people and call it work. I've had the chance to interview a whole schwack of people... I'd have to say that some of the most interesting interviews I've done aren't celebrity based, but science based. I've also had the chance to talk to some Canadian TV producers/writers and some Canadian film writers/producers and they're pretty much on par with all of my fav tech/science interviews.

Out of all of the TV people I have talked to, I have to single out Damian Kindler. I talked to him in regards to Sanctuary and I wish I could post the whole raw interview here because he gave me an amazing interview. But, if I want to stay anonymous, that's not a good idea. Damian is super smart and very creative. He's also insanely nice and although he was really, really busy, he talked to me for quite awhile about Sanctuary and his passion for the project was honest and obvious. I saw today that Sanctuary was picked up by Sci-Fi and although I thought the news was awesome, I was a little sad that Damian's original idea of a web based show didn't seem to pan out. The interview I read said that it just didn't work out financially and I'd hazard to guess that many people weren't as nice and honest as Damian would have liked and torrented the show instead of buying it off the web site. That makes me sad because when I talked to Damian, he had such a cool idea... to meld the world of online downloads and sort of bend the 'visual media' industry towards a more sustainable future.

Damian likened the state of TV today to the state of the music industry about... ten (??) years ago when the MP3 first came out. The music industry is now, well, suffering because they thought that people would never download music and I thought it was amazing that Damian was recognizing the big pink elephant in the TV industry and not ignoring it like the music industry had. I hope this Sci-Fi pick up is just the beginning for Sanctuary and I hope that although it's on TV, Damian and his team keep their dedication to innovation. The industry needs people like Damian.

Weird Dream

This is going to make everyone think I'm crazy (or the next Steven King), but I had the weirdest dream last night. It was so weird that, although it was a nightmare, I wasn't scared when I woke up because I just thought it was so weird.

Basically, I dreamed that they opened up the borders and it was open season on Canadians. Weird, hey? We were all in zoo-esque enclosures and all these big, fat Americans came up to hunt! (Now, I don't think all Americans are big and fat -- it was just a dream!)

Little did these Americans know that we'd been armed and we all started to shoot back from our zoo-esque enclosures. Then, once we were out, we needed to drive the remaining Americans back across the border, so we were put on task forces and tested on an obstacle course. My brother made my team fail.

Sooo... yeah... all those psychology classes should come in handy as I try to examine what that dream has to say about my psyche.

Honestly though, I've never been one to read too much into dreams. I just thought that one was so absurd that I'd share.

Don't let the bed bugs bite!

~Anon

To Instruct Or Not To Instruct

When writing a script, how much direction do you put into it?

I ask because I've heard a whole bunch of answers...

1. Never, ever put in camera directions
2. Only add camera instructions when you're heading into production
3. Use them sparingly -- only when absolutely necessary

and finally...

4. Why the hell are you even asking? Of course you need them!

So, which answer is right? I tend to follow #3. I may be completely and utterly wrong since I'm such a newbie, but here are my reasons...

1. I want my script to read well. This is especially important when you're trying to sell something. I don't want anyone reading my script caught up in camera instructions. I want the story to be front and center.

2. I have an inkling of what it's like to be a director. If I'm lucky enough to ever have anything I've written go into production, I think I'll let the director do his job. They know what they're doing. On the other hand, would some directors find a whole shwack of instructions useful? I have no clue.

3. Although I've been through a fair amount of training in film, I'm not an expert. I'm just writing the script. The people who are experts know their jobs well. See #2. Also, I don't want to somehow make myself look like a dork.

(I once read on Alex Levine's blog on the Stargate web site -- I think it was his -- that they once received a script from someone who put their spec on multi coloured paper to try and make it look 'professional'. It just made said person look stupid. Now, I really don't think I'm stupid enough -- or uneducated enough -- to make a snafu of that level, but who knows... it could happen!)

So, am I wrong? I've always wondered what I should do. Should I give more instructions? Should I not? Is it a personal choice? To be honest, I have no clue.

Lucy Maude I Am Not

I was thinking about yesterday's post on 'grounding' yourself to a character. I don't think it's something that can always be done, or, for that matter, should always be done, but I know that it works for me quite a bit. The thing about technique is that you need to have a few that work for you. One technique is not going to work for everything and it's always good to mix things up. So, that's just one of mine.

I was thinking today about different kinds of writing. Books. Plays. Commercials. Whatever.

I once tried to write a book. On a dare. No kidding. One of my friends had said:

'You know, ____, I think you're a good writer, but I don't think you could sit down and write a whole book.'

And since I did think I was a good writer (And don't use this blog as an example. I tend to ramble and then hit 'publish'.), I sat my ass down at my desk and started to write a book!

Needless to say, it didn't quite work out. The reason why is slightly more than 'you tried to write a book on a dare!'

No, what happened was this:

I started the same way that I would write a script. I outlined heavily. Then I started writing. At first, it all went swimmingly. Then, well, to tell you the truth, I started to get bored. No, it wasn't the story that was boring (in my opinion, anyways), it was the act of writing it that was getting boring.

See, I knew how it ended. I had it all planned out in my head and on paper and I just wanted it to get out of my head and into my word processor and it was just taking so long. I liken it to being overdue with a baby: You love the kid, you loved most of your pregnancy, and, yah, you really loved the act of getting pregnant, but now it's getting to the point where you just want to pop the precious whippersnapper out already!

Part of it was that I just wanted to be done, but a bigger part of it was that I just wanted to be able to see my hard work and show everyone else. Also, it was so immersive and having the story floating around in my head was almost starting to feel like a burden. I just wanted it out!

So, basically, I found that this whole book-writing-thing was super hard work! Not that screenwriting isn't hard work. It's just different hard work.

I found myself having my typical explosive bursts of writing and I'd look back at what I'd written and find out that I really hadn't gotten much done. I find that when I'm writing a script, I'll have an explosive burst of writing and then look back at it and feel at least somewhat accomplished.

I think I lack patience. That's it.

I'm not saying I'll never finish the book -- because it's still floating around in my head and I sometimes have the urge to open the file and write a bit -- but I think I have a lot of learning to do before it happens.

Another Take On Write What You Know

I did a whiney post on ‘Writing What You Know’ the other day. Sometimes, I whine. Too damn bad.

But, what about those times when you aren’t writing about something you know? How do you ground yourself to the character then?

I’m working on a screenplay right now that is about something I know nothing about. As odd as that sounds, think about it this way – do those sci fi writers really know what it’s like to be an alien in another galaxy?

I found myself having a hard time with the characters because I didn’t know them. They weren’t doing anything that I knew how to do. How did I remedy this? Well, I gave one of them a trait that I have. Boom. Done. Now, it might sound like I’m writing me, but I’m not. What I’ve done is give the character something I can relate to. In my case, it’s the way he argues. Simple. It’s not like I made a carbon copy of me.

Think of it this way: My best friend couldn’t be more different from me. She immigrated to Canada at the age of twelve, is almost six feet tall, loves to dance, is seriously outgoing, and is studying to be an accountant. But I’m still her friend. Why? Because we share certain experiences or traits. Our sense of humour. Crazy parents. Our culture.

So, giving my character a trait that I have isn’t creating a copy of me. It’s… creating something closer to a friend. I can use that one trait as a link in the chain, and build from there. The further I go down the chain, the less he is like me, but that first link is still anchoring him down, grounding me to who he is. It doesn't always have to be a trait that you have. How about a friend? An enemy? Your mom? The dork who bags your groceries at Safeway? That can work, too.

This is harder when you’re writing a spec – something you didn’t create – but it can still be done. I mean, who really knows what it feels like to be a vampire slayer? But, hey, you might know what it feels like to simply be a woman, or a high school student, etc.

I always write much more smoothly when I find something to anchor me to the character. It could be something as simple as hair colour, or something as complex as a shared situation or problem. The key is to make sure you build from there. Don’t stay locked to that one trait… let the chain keep growing, let the character keep growing.

EDIT: Of course, this doesn't work all the time!

Break Out The Party Hats

Apparently, I can't type today... so I'll keep this brief...

Happy Canada Day!

Go and, I don't know, eat some poutine on a chesterfield. Make sure you bring some serviettes.

I got nothing.

Short Film Hell

I once produced a short film. By the end of it, I was ready to spontaneously combust. I spent most of my time on set babying the hippy director (he thought he was ubber cool because he'd pulled cables on an episode of The X-Files). He couldn't follow a schedule to save his life and we were so behind that it was ridiculous. At one point, I came on set to see him literally setting up a shot under a bathroom stall door and up actor's nose. We were almost a day behind and he was shooting up someone's nose. I'm not even kidding. Tragically, the lighting couldn't be 'figured out' and the lighting guy was able to convince him that the shot would never work. Tragic.

I think my shining moment was when I almost killed the guy who was pushing the snack cart. See, I'd spent all morning trying to get this shot set up (which wasn't my job). I cajoled. I threatened. I pleaded. Finally, we were ready to go. The actors were all in place (and dressed). The slate was ready to go. The camera was ready. Lights. Camera... SNACK CART! Snack Cart Guy came down the hall and hollered:

"Hey, anyone hungry?"

I lost it. My actors started to bolt for the snack cart and I took off faster than Donovan Bailey and chased the snack cart down the hallway, complete with flailing arms. I probably looked like a crazed lawn sprinkler.

Every once in a while, I IMDB that crazy director. Nothing ever comes up. I wonder why.