Indiana Jones

Yes, like a few million Americans this weekend I went to see 'Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'. As I said to my friend as we were walking out, it was a nice visit with old friends. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but my all-time favorite is still the first one.

Harrison Ford is great but yes, he does look his age. He's still got the charm and the charisma and really dug into the part. The best scenes were with Karen Allen, who looks great and was just as good ever as Marion, and Shia Lebouef was great too. In fact I want to say that young man is definitely going places. He's got a lot of talent and really works his tail off and is pretty mature for his age. Keeping up with the Jones... :) I won't say anymore about that.

I remember going to see the first movie and I remember on its initial release there wasn't a lot of hype. It was playing in the smaller of the two movie theaters that were in my town back then. My mom and dad wanted to see it and it had Harrison Ford who I knew as Han Solo at that time so I thought 'okay'. It was more than okay. It was incredible. So many freaking great one-liners, exotic locations, a teesny-tiny bit of primitive CGI (the rest was good old-fashioned stunt work and makeup/creature effects). My dad and my brother and I went to see it again at the big theater and we got there just as the lights were going down so the only seats available were in the third row and this was before stadium seating so you had to slunk down in your seat to see the whole screen. But when that big boulder came rolling down it was like 3-D. Totally awesome.

The second one... Harrison Ford looked really hot in that one. I loved the little kid who played Short Stuff. But Kate Capshaw.... that woman needed a muzzle. Every time she was on screen I just wanted to gag. But I also remember how they kind of pushed the gross-out envelope and that's what led to the PG-13 rating.

Number three... Sean Connery. 'Nuff said. It was so freaking hilarious to see him play a bumbling professor-type. The scenes with him and Harrison Ford were priceless.

Now I also remember the tv show 'The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles' and especially Sean Patrick Flannery who played the young Indy. What a hottie (and he's still a hottie). That was cool as Indy seemed to be neck-deep in history. It's on DVD so I might pick it up.

But I think what makes the character of Indiana Jones so cool is that on one hand he's this bookish professor and on the other hand a swashbuckling adventurer. The dichotomy is fun and also because he's not a superman-type. One of my favorite exchanges in the first movie was: His friend Salah asks him: "What are you going to do now?" And Indy goes: "I don't know. I'm making this up as I go along."

And as Marion says in the newest movie: "I don't think he plans that far in advance."

Sunday Coffee and Other Things

Yes, it's Sunday and I'm drinking coffee out of a regular coffee cup. On the days I have to work I drink it out of a to-go cup. Which is good because at work I'll forget it's there on a long call and the coffee's still warm. It's also good for traveling. But on Sunday and Wednesday I have my coffee like a normal person.

Though that might be changing... I put in a schedule change for an 8-hour day, in fact it's my old schedule that I had about a year or so back. I've liked the 10-hour/1 day off during the week thing but my poor back seems to think otherwise. Because there are days when I'm at the 8-hour mark, my back's tighter than tight, and I have to sit for another two hours. Now if I get this schedule I might try to change it a little so I can have an 1-hour lunch instead of 35 minutes like I got now. They do that so people can go to the gym during the day but I plan to exercise at home because 1) I need the space for my exercise mat and ball and 2) I've heard the gym at work is a zoo most of the time. So once I get my new apartment and my 8-hour schedule I can start exercising again.

I think part of my back problems over the last couple of months since I stopped seeing Mr. Wonderful-Chiropractor is a lack of exercise. I also think I need to have him crack me up again (and I may need to settle a bill there too) but if I just get off my lazy ass and exercise I know that'll help too.

So for the next 2 days... shovel out the last of the garbage, clean out the closet on my living room floor (I confess: I've been using my living room floor as a closet for I don't know how long). Then this week it will be to gather boxes and start packing.

Oh the flocking joy.

Mid Week Blues

Yeah, I could sing the blues right now and really feel it.

I was out yesterday with a very hurty back. Sucker went off Sunday afternoon in Wal-Mart and Monday at work was a borderline nightmare but Tuesday morning was total misery. doG knows what I did to it but I wish the sucker would stop hurting. I'm able to sit up today though it still wants to tighten up and hurt if I sit for any length of time. So after this I'm back to bed and my pillows. I'm hoping to try and write but so far I'm hitting a brick wall there.

I'm on the turn towards the climax and end of this story and I'm not quite sure how to get through the turn. I know I'm going to need to rewrite/revise like mad when this is all done but I'm having some trouble shoving that thought out of my head. What it is these characters have past issues (especially Connor, my hero) and they're coming to a head. Also, my wonderful characters have realized they're in love with each other and have no idea what to do about it as they know the confrontation with the bad guys has the potential to be fatal (I know it won't be but they don't know that).

So I think one brief detour to paradise before the big showdown isn't too much to ask. It's just finding a way to write it.

70 Days of Sweat

Remember that challenge I joined up a while back? The 70 Days of Sweat/Sweat with Sven thing? Well it ended Friday and I fell short of my goal. By about 20-25K words. Between this and that and whatnot I was hoping I'd be finished by now but if I get this first draft finished by the end of the month I'll be doing good.

I've done writing challenges before (Book In A Week was a popular one) and when I had free time and no bullshit distractions I kicked ass big-time. Now I can bring up a hundred excuses and whatnot but still. Granted I'm not on a contract deadline but it would be nice if I could keep my ass to the ground and my shit together writing-wise.

So I've promised myself that I'll work on the book on work days and concentrate on the move stuff on my days off. I shoveled out some crap though not as much as I could as my back doth protesteth. And I have no idea why as the weather is hot and wonderful. Oh well, let's not say I'm predictable shall we?

I Have a New Apartment

Yep. I called over to the new people and I'm in. Nice lady on the phone said my app had been approved and all I had to do was come by and sign the lease before I moved in. Needless to say I was sweating bullets on this as I was having flashbacks to the last time I moved. Of course five years ago I was in a much different place financially then I am now.

Five years ago I'd never rented an apartment before, I'd been at my current job less than 90 days, had a gap in employment history, and so-so credit. Flash-forward five years: I've been at my current job for 3 years and was at my previous one for 2 with no gap there. I've had 5 years of one-time rent payments (and if those assholes I currently rent from had said otherwise I'd have kicked their asses!), the credit is a tad better than so-so (though far from perfect), and I make a lot more money than I did 5 years ago. So differing circumstances and an easier time swinging the place. Now if I could have just found a way out of paying these assholes I currently rent from an extra month's rent I'd really be happy.

Oh, and the plumbing in the bathroom's leaking. I was hoping that it would hold together long enough for me to get out of here as I do not want to deal with the assholes I rent from but I'm going to have to tell them about it as it's kind of unavoidable. The problem is I don't think it's from my plumbing but from one of my idiot neighbors. But I need to clean the place up then hide Jake during the day so they can get in here. If they want to tear the bathroom up while I'm still here then they will have another thing coming. All I want them to do is fix the leak- the cosmetic shit they can worry about once I'm out of here (though I have a bad feeling that's going to be a patch-and-repair job).

Sorry about the partial rant but to say that I want out is putting it mildly.

Service Rant

ALERT: RANT ABOUT CUSTOMER SERVICE

Just thought I'd give you a warning as I'm about to rant on one of my favorite topics in the world (insert sarcasm here).

Wednesday with the apartment thing I realized that I want customer service to be proactive rather than reactive. By proactive I mean service providers who reach out to me and/or address service issues right then and there and get the job done right the first time. And when I go to cancel service I would like to see some attempt to save my business. I work for a company that takes saving business very seriously and we employees are encouraged to be proactive in addressing and rectifying things before it reaches that point.

So many businesses seem to approach customer service in a reactive manner, meaning they get all hot and bothered after there is a problem but not before. Also, they don't show a lot of care and concern for their customers either. I think with some it might be that they don't want to be perceived as nosey but I think there's an easy-to-see line between nosiness and genuine concern. Things like getting in touch with customers or doing follow-up is a big plus right there. But also during routine transactions it's good to reach to make sure the customer is truly satisfied with the service being provided.

And what really ticked me off about my apartment complex people was that 1) they didn't follow up on the renewal notice given to see if I wanted a new lease or not, and 2) when I did give them notice no attempt was made to get me to stay. Not that I would have stayed but I would have appreciated the attempt to keep me. But then if they had done #1 then they would have done #2. But in not doing either, these people showed that they really don't give a shit about their tenants. I've been a loyal paying tenant for five years and I feel bad that it has to end like this. But I also feel that without the follow-up an attempt was made to get me to pay the monthly rate instead of the yearly rate. Which is a bit shoddy to my way of thinking but either way, it shows what a bunch of shitheads these people are. I will be writing a letter to the owner of this place just to let them know my opinions, but whether or not they'll be addressed in the future I don't know. And I don't care. I just want to be free.

I'm not an expert on anything to be sure, but having been in the customer service profession for some years I've learned a few things. And being proactive is sure as hell better than being reactive because by the time it's reactive, the customer is out the door.

Happy Birthday To Me

Yes, today's my birthday. And yes, I have to work, worry about the apartment situation, and a whole host of other crap. I think the only thing I'll do today is not cook and get a Starbucks Mocha Frappacinno later.

Ah birthdays. 34 (the current one for me), isn't a milestone year so it's a ho-hum kind of thing for me today. But I'm not crying in my Dr. Pepper or anything like that. Nope. I'm glad to be here, glad to be alive, and still believe that things will work out. I was a putz about the apartment as I should have checked my lease myself before the first of the month but I won't take all the blame for that one. That just goes to show you that age doesn't always bring on wisdom- at least for me.

I bought a new purse and backpack from Amazon.com for my birthday. The backpack is green camouflage print and the purse is a cute black leather with tiger stripes on the front. It's smaller than the bag I was carrying so I've pared down there. The backpack is just cool. Since I've been on my own I've always bought myself something for my birthday.

So my birthday wishes are that work goes well today and that I get the go-ahead for my new apartment.

I May Have a New Cave

Doog doG I hope so.

I've spent the last two days on the phone calling around and getting prices and whatnot so this morning I decided to go and look at one apartment. Went and looked and it was 'meh'. I told them I needed to think about it. What I was hoping would happen today was that if I looked at a unit a little 'ting' would go off inside me. It's like a moment of clarity when everything lines up and your instincts are telling you to go with this one. I didn't hear that 'ting' when I went and looked at the first unit so I decided to move on.

But as I driving out I saw the apartment complex next door to them and decided to have a look around. I went into the office and met a very nice lady, told her what I was looking for and she showed me two units. The first was a very nice one-bedroom then she showed me a second one on the third floor, which tells how much I liked her that I would go up three flights of stairs just to look at a single apartment. The second one is a one-bedroom with a study. And I began to fall in love with the place and the fact that for more money I'm not only getting more space, but a washer/dryer in the unit. Then we started talking numbers and for only $20 more than the 1-bedroom she'd give it to me. So I put the deposit down, the application fee and am crossing my fingers and toes it goes through.

Update:
I called to check something on my app and found out that my current apartment people wouldn't release any info on me because I hadn't given them notice. So I went over there and gave notice and they said they'd given me the renewal notice some time back. Like fucking hell they did! Of course since it's my word against theirs and they're bigger than me I'm going to have to suck it up and pay another month's rent even if I move out before the end of June. I want to tell them they can keep my deposit and stick the rest of it up their backside. This is the biggest bunch of idiots and I do not feel sorry for them in any way.

The Need to Write

To my way of thinking, when writing becomes a need and not a want I think that's when you've truly gone over the edge. At first you write because you want to give it a try and see if you can do it. Then when you start doing it you want to do more so you can get better. Then the stories and characters start bugging you and the only way to shut them up is to write about them.

That's not a bad summary but writing is more complex. Putting words onto paper (or a computer in my case) is a very old form of expression. It's similar to a musician's need to play or compose- they hear the melodies in their heads (like Mozart in the movie 'Amadeus'). And I think this is what separates the hobbyist from the serious artist: how often you pursue it and what drives you.

And I also think this is why the creative pursuits are so hard to walk away from (hence the old rock stars still continuing to tour year after year). I can't imagine not writing or pursuing something creatively. Even if I never sell I'll always have the stories in my head and want to get them out. That's been so much a part of me I don't think there's any way to get rid of it. Oh sure, the characters and places and all that change but the same need is still there.

Little By Little

Last week I thought I would have a higher word count as I had four files on my AlphaSmart but all those files only came out to about 2500 words. That's not bad but there are times when I'm on Alphie that I think I'm doing more. Maybe because I split each scene into a separate file and not kept them one single file made me think that. Either way, it wasn't a bad week.

But with all this moving crap to do and phone calls to make my meager little lunch break will be shot for the next couple of days. I know 15-20 minutes of work doesn't seem like a lot but it's a good start for me so when I get home I have something to upload and finish. And that's how this project has gotten done- little by little.

I don't think it's so much as how long you write for, but that you write something during the time you have. And with working a ten-hour day the other hours have to be divided out for other things such as sleeping, eating, and other odds and ends. In the evening I usually work for about an hour or so before going to bed. I keep thinking about switching to an eight-hour day but right now I need the extra day off during the week so that switch is out. Granted, I can be a bit lazy on my day off but so what. On Saturdays I spend half my day just running for both me and dad and the rest recovering. Sundays I try to catch up on everything else and write.

Whine, whine, whine. Hey, it's my party and I'll cry if I want to. :)

Of course I'm coming up on the home stretch and I've got to figure out how to end this book and how I'm going to get them in and out of trouble. Of course I look at my word count and have a feeling that I'll either make it or come in under. Either way won't be a problem as I've got some room to maneuver and places I know I need to fill out so I'm not too worried about that.

I just wish I didn't have to start shoveling out my apartment and packing up and all that shit. So for the next few weeks it will be even more little by little.