Fiddling with WordPress again, and trying to figure out how to domain map one of my other domains onto a WordPress blog without having to pay them money. Is this possible, interwebs?
I swear I'm going to learn HTML this year. I've just been busy, you know, writing.
Also, if I were to start regularly embedding video, would those of you who pull the RSS prefer it to be before or after the jump?
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Elephant Words - 6 Week Roundup
Andrew Cheverton is a fellow writer on EW, and he has this thing where he does a commentary track on his pieces after each 6 week period is over. I'll be emulating him now:
Long-Sigh Anxiety: I feel like I weaved drunkenly across the line of humor and melancholy with this piece, and it's weaker for it. I'm enamored with the idea of a city where every piece of graffiti is a memorial, but I lose the thread bitching about procedural television (my least favorite genre, because nothing new has been introduced to it since the early 1990s). If I could trim this one down to about half it's length, I think I'd find something quite nice.
Things My Father Told Me When I Was Young: I had three different half-stories for this image, all written out longhand in a notebook while sitting under a tree by the apartment I was living in near Pittsburgh at the time. As the sun was setting, I looked up and saw the moon was almost full. Ever since I was a child, I've had two fears: Wolves, as a result of a kid's book, Donald Cries Wolf (Disney used to draw wolves lean and hungry, with slavering jaws and yellow eyes), and foxes, because of my father. He's told me the story of The Bloody Eyed Fox many times over the years, and I wanted to do a spin on it, presenting it from the perspective of the son of one of the bad guys rather than the usual viewpoint of the boy who owned the fox. My father claims to have seen the Bloody-Eyed Fox, lurking around Ten-Mile Creek in Mississippi, and I don't doubt him. I've spent the night there many times, and spent days digging up arrowheads. Rest assured, it's prime haunting territory.
A Rivalry With Andrew Cheverton That's Not Based On Looks: The week prior, Andrew had written a six-word short story in Hemingway fashion. I wanted to do the same. Alan commented that it seemed as if I had started with four pages of story and trimmed until I settled on one upsetting sentence. He was pretty much right. I hadn't written a four-page story, but I had a ton of notes: a history of what had happened, a list of survivors, the equipment and rations they were down to; basically, the kinds of things that keep me up at night worrying about the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Then, I realized it would just seem like horror-babble-genre fluff, and took it high-concept.
Another Low Lit Memory: This is just something that's been in my head for ages, ever since I found out the world turned and was a little bit tilted. Granted, I didn't have much of a solid understanding of science then, but when has that ever stopped a kid, or an author, from having some fun? My regrets with this piece are of the stylistic variety. I actually wanted to have no names, and write it more in the style of an Italo Calvino folktale, but I was a Monday poster, and had no time to go back through and rework it. As it is, it's still cute, but it's not quite timeless. I'm going to redo it someday, and try to pass it off as a folktale of the 22nd Century.
By Way Of An Apology: It was my week to post the picture, so I feel I can tell you my mom took this picture, while visiting friends in France. The man who did this sculpture apparently has dozens more all over his farm. I can't imagine he's able to sell them, much less figure out how he's able to build them. The statue struck me as kind of sad, unless of course you look at it up close. Its teeth are very sharp and nasty and obviously designed for meat, but barring that detail, I'd be terrified to see something punished like that. The idea was in my head almost as soon as I decided on the picture, and when everyone started writing melancholic stories that week, I became worried. Fortunately, nobody touched on my theme, and I got to write my story. This is another one that would benefit from a folk-tale style, though I like my first-person narrator.
Was This Last Month?: I'm big on costume parties. I'm also big on innovation at costume parties. I'm not big on people who half-ass them, and I'm not big on people who over-do them and then have to explain their costumes. I like the voice of this piece, though I recognize it's just a dialogue scene, and has no actual plot to it. That's okay. It's getting a feel for character. You're allowed to do that in short fiction. I hope.
Long-Sigh Anxiety: I feel like I weaved drunkenly across the line of humor and melancholy with this piece, and it's weaker for it. I'm enamored with the idea of a city where every piece of graffiti is a memorial, but I lose the thread bitching about procedural television (my least favorite genre, because nothing new has been introduced to it since the early 1990s). If I could trim this one down to about half it's length, I think I'd find something quite nice.
Things My Father Told Me When I Was Young: I had three different half-stories for this image, all written out longhand in a notebook while sitting under a tree by the apartment I was living in near Pittsburgh at the time. As the sun was setting, I looked up and saw the moon was almost full. Ever since I was a child, I've had two fears: Wolves, as a result of a kid's book, Donald Cries Wolf (Disney used to draw wolves lean and hungry, with slavering jaws and yellow eyes), and foxes, because of my father. He's told me the story of The Bloody Eyed Fox many times over the years, and I wanted to do a spin on it, presenting it from the perspective of the son of one of the bad guys rather than the usual viewpoint of the boy who owned the fox. My father claims to have seen the Bloody-Eyed Fox, lurking around Ten-Mile Creek in Mississippi, and I don't doubt him. I've spent the night there many times, and spent days digging up arrowheads. Rest assured, it's prime haunting territory.
A Rivalry With Andrew Cheverton That's Not Based On Looks: The week prior, Andrew had written a six-word short story in Hemingway fashion. I wanted to do the same. Alan commented that it seemed as if I had started with four pages of story and trimmed until I settled on one upsetting sentence. He was pretty much right. I hadn't written a four-page story, but I had a ton of notes: a history of what had happened, a list of survivors, the equipment and rations they were down to; basically, the kinds of things that keep me up at night worrying about the inevitable zombie apocalypse. Then, I realized it would just seem like horror-babble-genre fluff, and took it high-concept.
Another Low Lit Memory: This is just something that's been in my head for ages, ever since I found out the world turned and was a little bit tilted. Granted, I didn't have much of a solid understanding of science then, but when has that ever stopped a kid, or an author, from having some fun? My regrets with this piece are of the stylistic variety. I actually wanted to have no names, and write it more in the style of an Italo Calvino folktale, but I was a Monday poster, and had no time to go back through and rework it. As it is, it's still cute, but it's not quite timeless. I'm going to redo it someday, and try to pass it off as a folktale of the 22nd Century.
By Way Of An Apology: It was my week to post the picture, so I feel I can tell you my mom took this picture, while visiting friends in France. The man who did this sculpture apparently has dozens more all over his farm. I can't imagine he's able to sell them, much less figure out how he's able to build them. The statue struck me as kind of sad, unless of course you look at it up close. Its teeth are very sharp and nasty and obviously designed for meat, but barring that detail, I'd be terrified to see something punished like that. The idea was in my head almost as soon as I decided on the picture, and when everyone started writing melancholic stories that week, I became worried. Fortunately, nobody touched on my theme, and I got to write my story. This is another one that would benefit from a folk-tale style, though I like my first-person narrator.
Was This Last Month?: I'm big on costume parties. I'm also big on innovation at costume parties. I'm not big on people who half-ass them, and I'm not big on people who over-do them and then have to explain their costumes. I like the voice of this piece, though I recognize it's just a dialogue scene, and has no actual plot to it. That's okay. It's getting a feel for character. You're allowed to do that in short fiction. I hope.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Video Games Are Anathema To Work
I had written a long article about how I used to love games but never find myself playing them anymore, and started listing the few exceptions to that fact. The list kept growing and growing, and I quickly realized my thesis was a lie. So that article isn't getting published. But the end of it, where I talked about my renewed (never left) passion for games and listed the games I want to play, is as follows:
Things that I'm dying to play (that I have the capability to, seeing as I don't own a PS3):
1. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 - A zombie survival horror action game based on the Half Life 2 engine? 4 player co-op? You can play as the undead in a versus mode? Is there anything about this game that doesn't scream, "Matt Hartwell, I am your new lord and master"?
2. Fable 2 - Xbox 360 - I was one of six people who really enjoyed the original Fable, which was an amazing game that fell victim to its own hype. No, it didn't have a persistent world. No, it wasn't the be-all end-all of games, but it was a fun little action-RPG with lots of cool new ideas. Apparently, this isn't more of the same, as tons of new cool ideas have been stacked on top of the delicious cake that was already there. It too, has online co-op.
Co-operative play, I think, is why I enjoy games so much. Versus is nice too, but the feeling of accomplishing a feat with someone's help is awesome. I even enjoy, in this age of 3d graphics and interactive storytelling, the archaic concept of playing single-player games co-operatively by passing the controller back and forth as you progress.
3. Fallout 3 - Xbox 360 - It's basically Oblivion, but 3 times bigger, it's sci-fi themed (I'm far more partial to sci-fi than I am to fantasy, George R. R. Martin being the exception to the rule), and it's gorgeous. Plus, it's got a healthy sense of humor, as anyone familiar with the first two Fallouts knows. This is something you could get lost in and never come back from. Easily 50 to 100 hours of gameplay, because this is the kind of game I wander around in, doing every little thing imaginable.
4. Okami - Wii - I missed it on PS2, and have the chance to play it now. It's a completely art-driven game, and I feel like we don't have nearly enough of that.
5. Prince of Persia - Xbox 360 - Speaking of art driven games, this is an impressionistic dreamscape, masquerading as a maddening platformer.
6. Far Cry 2 - Xbox 360 - Because sometimes I just want to hunt people in the African Savannah, Most Dangerous Game style. I love FPSs. This one is apparently amazing.
7. Call of Duty: World At War - Xbox 360 - As is this one, or so I hear. It's supposedly the ultimate online experience, and lots of people I know play it. Which is nice, because everyone I don't know on Xbox Live is a dick. Who says the F-word and N-word a lot. For no reason. And is in 7th grade or using a filter that makes their voice sound like their in 7th grade.
8. Dead Space - Xbox 360 - I love survival horror. This will tide me over until Resident Evil 5.
9. No More Heroes - Wii - Brent owns this one, so it'll be the first on this list I play. From the maker of the trippy Killer 7, which I did beat, and did enjoy, but can't say I understood, this actioner has more style than Jesus.
10. BoomBlox - Wii - A party game to round out the list, this looks like a ridiculous amount of fun, especially after a few drinks.
Lesser works round-up: I also hear Condemned is insane and a blast to play with the lights off. I want to check out Alone in the Dark, and the King Kong game is probably only 5 bucks at this point.
There's a chance this lust will all lead to a GameFly membership, as the total purchase price of these games just about equals a month's rent, and that's not going to happen.
Things that I'm dying to play (that I have the capability to, seeing as I don't own a PS3):
1. Left 4 Dead - Xbox 360 - A zombie survival horror action game based on the Half Life 2 engine? 4 player co-op? You can play as the undead in a versus mode? Is there anything about this game that doesn't scream, "Matt Hartwell, I am your new lord and master"?
2. Fable 2 - Xbox 360 - I was one of six people who really enjoyed the original Fable, which was an amazing game that fell victim to its own hype. No, it didn't have a persistent world. No, it wasn't the be-all end-all of games, but it was a fun little action-RPG with lots of cool new ideas. Apparently, this isn't more of the same, as tons of new cool ideas have been stacked on top of the delicious cake that was already there. It too, has online co-op.
Co-operative play, I think, is why I enjoy games so much. Versus is nice too, but the feeling of accomplishing a feat with someone's help is awesome. I even enjoy, in this age of 3d graphics and interactive storytelling, the archaic concept of playing single-player games co-operatively by passing the controller back and forth as you progress.
3. Fallout 3 - Xbox 360 - It's basically Oblivion, but 3 times bigger, it's sci-fi themed (I'm far more partial to sci-fi than I am to fantasy, George R. R. Martin being the exception to the rule), and it's gorgeous. Plus, it's got a healthy sense of humor, as anyone familiar with the first two Fallouts knows. This is something you could get lost in and never come back from. Easily 50 to 100 hours of gameplay, because this is the kind of game I wander around in, doing every little thing imaginable.
4. Okami - Wii - I missed it on PS2, and have the chance to play it now. It's a completely art-driven game, and I feel like we don't have nearly enough of that.
5. Prince of Persia - Xbox 360 - Speaking of art driven games, this is an impressionistic dreamscape, masquerading as a maddening platformer.
6. Far Cry 2 - Xbox 360 - Because sometimes I just want to hunt people in the African Savannah, Most Dangerous Game style. I love FPSs. This one is apparently amazing.
7. Call of Duty: World At War - Xbox 360 - As is this one, or so I hear. It's supposedly the ultimate online experience, and lots of people I know play it. Which is nice, because everyone I don't know on Xbox Live is a dick. Who says the F-word and N-word a lot. For no reason. And is in 7th grade or using a filter that makes their voice sound like their in 7th grade.
8. Dead Space - Xbox 360 - I love survival horror. This will tide me over until Resident Evil 5.
9. No More Heroes - Wii - Brent owns this one, so it'll be the first on this list I play. From the maker of the trippy Killer 7, which I did beat, and did enjoy, but can't say I understood, this actioner has more style than Jesus.
10. BoomBlox - Wii - A party game to round out the list, this looks like a ridiculous amount of fun, especially after a few drinks.
Lesser works round-up: I also hear Condemned is insane and a blast to play with the lights off. I want to check out Alone in the Dark, and the King Kong game is probably only 5 bucks at this point.
There's a chance this lust will all lead to a GameFly membership, as the total purchase price of these games just about equals a month's rent, and that's not going to happen.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Monday Roundup - Los Feliz Edition
FICTION
New Elephant Words Story up here. Based on this picture. Last name stolen from this girl.
FURNITURE
One of the IKEA chairs is breaking inexplicably. It will go back to Burbank for an exchange this week.
FINANCES
I'm doing transcription work for Intervention until I find a real job.
FILM
Brent and I will be getting our TV this week. DVD watching will follow. First up: The Aura
FOTOS
I won these lithographs from the illustrious (get it?) Mitch Breitweiser. They are awesome prints colored by his wife.
New Elephant Words Story up here. Based on this picture. Last name stolen from this girl.
FURNITURE
One of the IKEA chairs is breaking inexplicably. It will go back to Burbank for an exchange this week.
FINANCES
I'm doing transcription work for Intervention until I find a real job.
FILM
Brent and I will be getting our TV this week. DVD watching will follow. First up: The Aura
FOTOS
I won these lithographs from the illustrious (get it?) Mitch Breitweiser. They are awesome prints colored by his wife.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Hearth and Home
Apartment secured - 2BR/2BA, one block over from the strip of shops and restaurants on Vermont and Franklin.
We now have a kitchen table, two chairs, two end tables, three lamps, two air mattresses. As of this afternoon, there may be a couch.
Slowly, we build ourselves a home from the wreckage.
I like Los Angeles.
I'm working on getting a job - several promising leads abound, even during this dry spell in Hollywood.
Although, there's two more days left on my, "Pulp novels and Private Eye Movies Have Promised Me Involvement In A Complicated Murder Mystery Within A Week of Moving Here" Countdown. Nothing yet, but there's still time.
We now have a kitchen table, two chairs, two end tables, three lamps, two air mattresses. As of this afternoon, there may be a couch.
Slowly, we build ourselves a home from the wreckage.
I like Los Angeles.
I'm working on getting a job - several promising leads abound, even during this dry spell in Hollywood.
Although, there's two more days left on my, "Pulp novels and Private Eye Movies Have Promised Me Involvement In A Complicated Murder Mystery Within A Week of Moving Here" Countdown. Nothing yet, but there's still time.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Scrambling Around Los Feliz
Looking for a place to live in Los Feliz. May have found it.
New story, based on this picture. Fighting with this story. Based on Hemingway's classic:
"For Sale: Baby shoes. Never Worn."
New story, based on this picture. Fighting with this story. Based on Hemingway's classic:
"For Sale: Baby shoes. Never Worn."
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Another Day, Another Dollar
As always, another week brings another story. Please read, rate and comment. Or leave a comment here on my blog if you don't want to register for WordPress. This story is actually based on a story my dad tells when there's a full moon. It's completely, 100% true, or so he's assured me, and the Bloody-eyed Fox will kill you, if you're of the wrong lineage.
I've watched two more movies since we last spoke: Le Doulos and Casque D'Or.
Le Doulos, or Doulos: The Fingerman, is a Melville film, which always makes me happy. I won't even spend time reviewing it, because I would just gush about it and annoy Brent.
Casque D'Or was a period piece set in what I think was the 1890s in Paris. It had Simone Signoret, and the two movies shared a male lead, Serge Reggiani. It was a love story, and quite an interesting one at that. It seems the primary method of communication between the sexes at this time was the slap. All in all, very enjoyable, but probably not something I'd screen at movie night.
I've watched two more movies since we last spoke: Le Doulos and Casque D'Or.
Le Doulos, or Doulos: The Fingerman, is a Melville film, which always makes me happy. I won't even spend time reviewing it, because I would just gush about it and annoy Brent.
Casque D'Or was a period piece set in what I think was the 1890s in Paris. It had Simone Signoret, and the two movies shared a male lead, Serge Reggiani. It was a love story, and quite an interesting one at that. It seems the primary method of communication between the sexes at this time was the slap. All in all, very enjoyable, but probably not something I'd screen at movie night.
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