Pinched spinal columns hurt. But no worries, jamming giant needles in the spine fixes the problem, right?
Anyway, via a combination of wrapping up a semester, intense back pain, and the release of Fallout: New Vegas, I haven't written a post for this blog in ages, and am now remedying the situation.
All the News in Fits of Print:
Long stories short, I've still been working on the musical. Sometimes I make headway, sometimes I don't. I'm still looking for a person to help me with the actual songwriting. No such luck acquiring a talented musician as of yet (at least not one who's willing to work on speculation instead of cold hard cash). But see below in Things you should Look At. I found a hilarious music site thanks to one of the followers of this blog. Kudos to you, Jess.
I had a two month dating-style relationship with a Jewish girl whose mother is from the Ukraine. It was great. She was really funny, a goofball, and we had a lot of geeky interests in common. Unfortunately what we didn't have in common was a religious belief of any kind. She was Jewish by culture not faith, and I guess I was "too Christian." I'm sad that it's over, but I know God's got someone for me out there who's just as geeky and screwball who doesn't think He's a fairy tale.
Marcher Lord Press has inducted a new member to our fold of spec-fic weirdos. Sharon Hinck, who writes, get this, Old Testament Fantasy Fiction, has joined the MLP crowd, and I really want to read her books. I've wanted to write a fantasy/Hero thing about King David's Mighty Men of Valor for a long time, and her writing sounds right up my alley, at least as far as deliberately Christian fiction goes. I recommend you take a look at Restorer's Journey, which I will be liberally borrowing (read stealing) ideas from.
Got a Cortisone shot (two actually) in my spine. The needles hurt a lot, but it's lessening my back pain already and it's been less than 24 hours. God willing, I'll be back to full mobility in time for the next semester (and for work, as being off the schedule has had a dramatic shallowing effect on my pockets).
Things you should go look at:
* SONGS TO WEAR PANTS TO: http://www.songstowearpantsto.com/
You should check this out, especially "We Are the Robot Pirates" and his cover of Jonathan Coulton's "Still Alive." This guy takes emailed suggestions (and paid commissions too) and turns them into funny short songs. The guy's name is Andrew, and he's super talented. His musical style is incredibly eclectic, hitting genres from rap and pop to electronica, bluegrass, and even some really silly satire pieces about zombies. If you value your sanity, do not, repeat, DO NOT listen to "Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing on Rainbows." Also for his more serious work (Drum n' Bass Classical Rock covers of things like Rihanna's "Only Girl" and some of his original, very heartfelt pieces) check out his channel on Youtube called Suture Sound.
As soon as I have about four hundred dollars, I am paying this guy to produce an orchestrated version of one of my songs from my musical, "Sneaky Sneaky." He already said he liked it, but couldn't do it for free. Phooey. Why's everything gotta be about money these days?
* THE BENNY HILLIFIER: http://bennyhillifier.com/
I don't know who runs this, but it amuses the crap out of me. You know the song "Yakety Sax" that a lot of comedy sketches play during silly chase scenes? Well, this critter can take any Youtube video and replace the sound on it with that song. It can turn a lackluster fight scene (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-yG-8fryCM) into THIS: http://bennyhillifier.com/?id=J-yG-8fryCM
Great for funny cat videos, Matrix fight scenes, funeral videos etc.
REASONS WHY ORCS ARE LIKE CATS
Courtesy of a conversation with an insufferable Brit/Indian half-breed friend of mine, Orcs are apparently like cats for a number of reasons. The conversation mostly consisted of saying things about cats, and then almost falling over laughing when we imagined that Orcs do these things too.
1. They like to sleep in hot places
2. They claim territory/things by scent marking them
3. They eat their food off the floor
4. They get grouchy if they are tired, hungry, thirsty, full, drunk, sober, awake, or currently existing in any fashion.
-it just devolved from here-
5. They poop in a box
6. They go into heat
7. If you touch a baby Orc the mother won't recognize its scent, and will eat it
8. They shed everywhere
10. They bathe by licking themselves
11. They'll sleep on your couch and not move even if you want them to
12. It is impossible to get up off a couch when an Orc is laying on you
13. They purr
14. Orc Hair is impossible to get off white clothing
15. Paper bags are amusing to them
16. They are easily distracted by laser pointers
It went on from there, but those are the "best of" or maybe "worst of."
That is all, you may now return to your lives. The next post will not be quite so long in coming.
Responses for my followers:
* Angelica: Yeah, sorry about the delay. Fortunately as the semester is now over, I have some extra time to write blog posts. Whoopee. I don't like making myself a liar, so more posts cometh.
Showing posts with label Musical. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Musical. Show all posts
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Nightborne Foe of Sleep and Dreams
Insomnia. This doesn't happen to me very often, but on the rare occasion that it strikes, insomnia does one of two things. It either forces me to lie awake thinking of things I'm supposed to be doing, or writing. Tonight, or perhaps this morning, I have opted for the latter.
Book news!
My second book, which as I've mentioned before is called "Hero in Hiding" for the time being, is still finished. The editing's not. And for some reason, insomnia does not aid the editing process. However, I am in the process of turning my first book into a musical. That's right, a Gilbert and Sullivan, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog style musical. And I really want it to be awesome. It's kind of fun so far, as I have written:
1. Mwa Ha (The Monologue Song)
2. Mwa Ha Reprise
3. Stargazing (Someone's watching over you)
4. It's a Nice Day for Heroics
and have planned several others, including
1. Three Against One (Reginald's Fight Song)
2. Got You at my Mercy (Or Lack Thereof)
3. Got You at my Mercy (Apprentice Hero Remix)
4. This is How it Works (Complete Guide to Heroics)
5. This is How it Works (Complete Guide to Magic)
6. One Wedding Plus Bandits
7. End on a Sad Note (It's a Dark Day for Heroics)
and quite a few more. Twenty-three planned songs, in fact. It's a lot of work, and while I know how I kind of generally want them to sound, I don't have a whole lot of musical talent. I need someone to write the music for me, and I don't know anyone who does that. Maybe I can take it up with the Music department at the University of Idaho. Maybe some poor fool of a graduate student will be strange and silly enough to tackle such a task. Who knows. I'll pray about it, I suppose. And no, I'm not just rhyming because I've been songwriting. I'm rhyming because of all the night writing. Or more correctly, the lack of sleep. Note to self: never write anything after three a.m.
On a sad note, it looks like I'm not going to have the money to attend the Oregon Christian Fiction Writers convention. I had to cover rent and some bills for a good friend of mine, one of my housemates. I've known the guy a long time, and he's good for it, it just might be a little while until I get it back. He finally got a job last week (answered prayer, that is), and is in pretty good spirits about it. We'll pull through, but the convention's going to have to wait for next year.
Topic Change! I've no idea how it has been nearly three weeks since I posted on this blog, but so much has been going on around here, it doesn't really surprise me. We had one friend take off as of the last post, one friend leave the house possibly for good, and one is leaving this coming week, definitely for good. He's off to Las Vegas to become some awesome lighting director or something and put his dramatic talents to good use. He hopes. The job market in Vegas is just as crummy as it is here. And if it takes three, four months to get a job here, well... good luck, good sir.
And just the last thing for this post: you should all go see the movie "Despicable Me" if you haven't already. It's the best six dollars and fifty cents I've spent all year. I got a great laugh, which I really needed, and got to see Villains fighting each other and kooky Minions of a different flavor than my own. It's funny, it's great for kids, and I probably laughed the loudest of anyone in the theater. It also gave me funny ideas for what to do with Voshtyr... if he ever has kids.
That's it, you may go about your daily business UNLESS you posted a comment on my last blog, in which case you must read further.
Replies for my awesome followers!
Jessica: I'm loving your blog. It's not every girl who has her mind set on things above, who looks to keep herself pure until marriage. Trust me, in our sex-saturated culture, especially in our colleges, that's a noble goal and a hard one. Good for you, and keep truckin'. And no, you're not bothering me. It's nice to have vocal fans, so post away! Here, DeviantArt, FanFiction.net, wherever!
Kate: Love your blog too, and a lot of your picture on Facebook. I've always loved those big, steampunky goggles. And I sooooo want some. They always bring out the mad scientist in me. Mwahahahaha! The world is mine! Eheh, heh heh, except I don't actually know any sort of science to help me do that. I'll just stick to wish fulfillment through fantasy writing. If I can't take over the world myself, I'll just have to get Voshtyr to do it for me.
DeeAnn: I would LOVE to do something for Wondersome! You know me and kids. I did a big thing (well, big compared to things like grains of rice and ants) at Newport High and Middle schools a year or so ago along that same train of thought. I'd be happy to ride that train through Wondersome. If you want to send me an email or set things up with them, I'd be happy to run with it. Just send me an email or something. As you can see, my blogging is... somewhat less than reliable.
Angelica: You can't lean too far over on a Segway. It auto-corrects for all the back and forth movement you do by changing speed. Even if you lean back, it doesn't back up very fast, and you can always lean forward a bit to stop. Actually, stopping entirely's the trickiest part.
As for the relationship thing, well, as with a lot of breakups, it was complicated. I won't bore you with the details, but brace yourself for a long story nonetheless.
The first girl who ever paid any real attention to me was at Hillsdale College when I went there in 2006. She was pretty, pretty geeky, and a good Christian. Heck, she was geekier than me. I didn't know what "Babylon 5" was before I met her, and now it's one of my favorite retro sci-fi TV shows. The problem was, I ran out of money because Hillsdale was an expensive private school. She was from a fairly well-off family, and stayed because the education was awesome. We maintained a really mild 'keep-in-touch' kind of relationship for a few months and all was well.
It wasn't until her dad called me and said 'hey, would you like to jump out of a box to surprise my daughter on her birthday?' that things got complicated. Her folks flew me out to Washington, D.C. where she was an intern with the Ninja Justice Society... er, National Journalism Society, and we have a hilarious video of me popping out of a box. I spent a week with her and her folks, playing Tourist from Idaho in D.C. And, of course, when it was too hot, watching almost ALL of Babylon 5.
We got to see each other every now and then from then on, but only once every three months or so, when one of us would end up on the other's coast, usually because her dad bought one of us a plane ticket. Did I mention she's an only child? Her dad dotes on her really good, and I can see why. She's a swell person.
But the problem is, it didn't last. Over the two years or so we'd known each other, we'd spent barely three weeks of it together. It wasn't until the last visit that I figured out what was wrong. I didn't love her. It sounds like a callous and horrible thing to say, but there were a lot of things that just finally dawned on me that visit that told me we'd never have a happy marriage, and believe me, I'd been considering it.
My reasons sound kind of petty, but I think it can be make or break for a relationship if your lifelong mate despises asian food, and you love it. Or can't stand vegetables and you love stir-fry. Or wants to run Republican societies when you're more of a moderate plus morals. I figured it out about three days after she left, and rather than have anyone waste plane fare, I figured I'd sent a well-thought out letter. That's more personal and real than a phone call... or heavens forbid, a break-up text. Do people actually DO that garbage? Anyway, I puzzled that letter out for two or three days before I finally had the wisest people I know (my folks) look it over just to make sure I was kind and loving in my thoughts and words, and wasn't being stupid or callous or thoughtless in anything I said. And then I sent it.
The reply was devastating. She used a bunch of cruel words that started with the letter D, such as 'deceitful' and 'defrauded.' The last lines were to the effect that I should never contact her again. I didn't know she had such venom in her. I still regret to this day losing a friendship with such an amazing girl, but in the long run, I stand by the decision. I don't want to become part of the divorce statistic among Christians. Especially if it's over something as simple as wanting an egg roll and some teriyaki every now and then.
And there you have it. My first and only relationship and its fiery crash of an ending. Thanks for asking and putting up with the reading. I hadn't ever really talked with anyone about this (though I did write some truly horrible poetry after the fact, which is now consigned to oblivion, courtesy of the 'empty recycle bin' button) and I think it helps, just a little bit. And now it's on the internet forever. I am truly a genius. Only, you know, less smart and more durrrrr.
End of rambling reply. I resolve to post more frequently, and at less length from now on. We'll see how long that resolution lasts.
Book news!
My second book, which as I've mentioned before is called "Hero in Hiding" for the time being, is still finished. The editing's not. And for some reason, insomnia does not aid the editing process. However, I am in the process of turning my first book into a musical. That's right, a Gilbert and Sullivan, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog style musical. And I really want it to be awesome. It's kind of fun so far, as I have written:
1. Mwa Ha (The Monologue Song)
2. Mwa Ha Reprise
3. Stargazing (Someone's watching over you)
4. It's a Nice Day for Heroics
and have planned several others, including
1. Three Against One (Reginald's Fight Song)
2. Got You at my Mercy (Or Lack Thereof)
3. Got You at my Mercy (Apprentice Hero Remix)
4. This is How it Works (Complete Guide to Heroics)
5. This is How it Works (Complete Guide to Magic)
6. One Wedding Plus Bandits
7. End on a Sad Note (It's a Dark Day for Heroics)
and quite a few more. Twenty-three planned songs, in fact. It's a lot of work, and while I know how I kind of generally want them to sound, I don't have a whole lot of musical talent. I need someone to write the music for me, and I don't know anyone who does that. Maybe I can take it up with the Music department at the University of Idaho. Maybe some poor fool of a graduate student will be strange and silly enough to tackle such a task. Who knows. I'll pray about it, I suppose. And no, I'm not just rhyming because I've been songwriting. I'm rhyming because of all the night writing. Or more correctly, the lack of sleep. Note to self: never write anything after three a.m.
On a sad note, it looks like I'm not going to have the money to attend the Oregon Christian Fiction Writers convention. I had to cover rent and some bills for a good friend of mine, one of my housemates. I've known the guy a long time, and he's good for it, it just might be a little while until I get it back. He finally got a job last week (answered prayer, that is), and is in pretty good spirits about it. We'll pull through, but the convention's going to have to wait for next year.
Topic Change! I've no idea how it has been nearly three weeks since I posted on this blog, but so much has been going on around here, it doesn't really surprise me. We had one friend take off as of the last post, one friend leave the house possibly for good, and one is leaving this coming week, definitely for good. He's off to Las Vegas to become some awesome lighting director or something and put his dramatic talents to good use. He hopes. The job market in Vegas is just as crummy as it is here. And if it takes three, four months to get a job here, well... good luck, good sir.
And just the last thing for this post: you should all go see the movie "Despicable Me" if you haven't already. It's the best six dollars and fifty cents I've spent all year. I got a great laugh, which I really needed, and got to see Villains fighting each other and kooky Minions of a different flavor than my own. It's funny, it's great for kids, and I probably laughed the loudest of anyone in the theater. It also gave me funny ideas for what to do with Voshtyr... if he ever has kids.
That's it, you may go about your daily business UNLESS you posted a comment on my last blog, in which case you must read further.
Replies for my awesome followers!
Jessica: I'm loving your blog. It's not every girl who has her mind set on things above, who looks to keep herself pure until marriage. Trust me, in our sex-saturated culture, especially in our colleges, that's a noble goal and a hard one. Good for you, and keep truckin'. And no, you're not bothering me. It's nice to have vocal fans, so post away! Here, DeviantArt, FanFiction.net, wherever!
Kate: Love your blog too, and a lot of your picture on Facebook. I've always loved those big, steampunky goggles. And I sooooo want some. They always bring out the mad scientist in me. Mwahahahaha! The world is mine! Eheh, heh heh, except I don't actually know any sort of science to help me do that. I'll just stick to wish fulfillment through fantasy writing. If I can't take over the world myself, I'll just have to get Voshtyr to do it for me.
DeeAnn: I would LOVE to do something for Wondersome! You know me and kids. I did a big thing (well, big compared to things like grains of rice and ants) at Newport High and Middle schools a year or so ago along that same train of thought. I'd be happy to ride that train through Wondersome. If you want to send me an email or set things up with them, I'd be happy to run with it. Just send me an email or something. As you can see, my blogging is... somewhat less than reliable.
Angelica: You can't lean too far over on a Segway. It auto-corrects for all the back and forth movement you do by changing speed. Even if you lean back, it doesn't back up very fast, and you can always lean forward a bit to stop. Actually, stopping entirely's the trickiest part.
As for the relationship thing, well, as with a lot of breakups, it was complicated. I won't bore you with the details, but brace yourself for a long story nonetheless.
The first girl who ever paid any real attention to me was at Hillsdale College when I went there in 2006. She was pretty, pretty geeky, and a good Christian. Heck, she was geekier than me. I didn't know what "Babylon 5" was before I met her, and now it's one of my favorite retro sci-fi TV shows. The problem was, I ran out of money because Hillsdale was an expensive private school. She was from a fairly well-off family, and stayed because the education was awesome. We maintained a really mild 'keep-in-touch' kind of relationship for a few months and all was well.
It wasn't until her dad called me and said 'hey, would you like to jump out of a box to surprise my daughter on her birthday?' that things got complicated. Her folks flew me out to Washington, D.C. where she was an intern with the Ninja Justice Society... er, National Journalism Society, and we have a hilarious video of me popping out of a box. I spent a week with her and her folks, playing Tourist from Idaho in D.C. And, of course, when it was too hot, watching almost ALL of Babylon 5.
We got to see each other every now and then from then on, but only once every three months or so, when one of us would end up on the other's coast, usually because her dad bought one of us a plane ticket. Did I mention she's an only child? Her dad dotes on her really good, and I can see why. She's a swell person.
But the problem is, it didn't last. Over the two years or so we'd known each other, we'd spent barely three weeks of it together. It wasn't until the last visit that I figured out what was wrong. I didn't love her. It sounds like a callous and horrible thing to say, but there were a lot of things that just finally dawned on me that visit that told me we'd never have a happy marriage, and believe me, I'd been considering it.
My reasons sound kind of petty, but I think it can be make or break for a relationship if your lifelong mate despises asian food, and you love it. Or can't stand vegetables and you love stir-fry. Or wants to run Republican societies when you're more of a moderate plus morals. I figured it out about three days after she left, and rather than have anyone waste plane fare, I figured I'd sent a well-thought out letter. That's more personal and real than a phone call... or heavens forbid, a break-up text. Do people actually DO that garbage? Anyway, I puzzled that letter out for two or three days before I finally had the wisest people I know (my folks) look it over just to make sure I was kind and loving in my thoughts and words, and wasn't being stupid or callous or thoughtless in anything I said. And then I sent it.
The reply was devastating. She used a bunch of cruel words that started with the letter D, such as 'deceitful' and 'defrauded.' The last lines were to the effect that I should never contact her again. I didn't know she had such venom in her. I still regret to this day losing a friendship with such an amazing girl, but in the long run, I stand by the decision. I don't want to become part of the divorce statistic among Christians. Especially if it's over something as simple as wanting an egg roll and some teriyaki every now and then.
And there you have it. My first and only relationship and its fiery crash of an ending. Thanks for asking and putting up with the reading. I hadn't ever really talked with anyone about this (though I did write some truly horrible poetry after the fact, which is now consigned to oblivion, courtesy of the 'empty recycle bin' button) and I think it helps, just a little bit. And now it's on the internet forever. I am truly a genius. Only, you know, less smart and more durrrrr.
End of rambling reply. I resolve to post more frequently, and at less length from now on. We'll see how long that resolution lasts.
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