No Dice
Friday, April 9, 2010, 10:54 AM
I'm at work trying to get a million damn things done at once. I've got to go to B-town and shoot more footage, but first I have to stop in to a place in Virginia and shoot that. I've got to get a few spots out to Dennis at RJH and try to convert this damn BHS talent show thing so it can get it ready to put out Monday. I feel like shit because I drank a little too much last night. Not enough to black out and make an ass out of myself, but enough to make me feel like shit today. Actually it was the stout that did it. I just can't drink stout anymore without feeling like shit the next day. I don't think my body can handle it.
Sariah is off today and I've got to get the car to her sometime around noon so she won't be trapped at home. I wish that treatment were reciprocated, but whatever. It's not like if I had the car I would be running around like crazy or something. I need to find the other battery to the 7D. I'm just posting stuff randomly as I bounce back and forth between computers. Ugh! I've got to hit the road. Not drinking tonight, but probably will tomorrow seeing as how I'm going to the Funky show here in J-Ville. I just hope I don't end up drinking too much like I usually do. I don't want to spend Sunday feeling like crap.
Okay. Now I REALLY have to go!
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( 3.3 / 12 )Am I my own worst enemy?
Wednesday, April 7, 2010, 11:18 PM
I've virtually lost all confidence in Tom. This means that my hopes for moving forward on making a movie relies pretty much on my ability to generate the funding to make it happen. I guess there's no real way of doing this the easy way considering I have no money, but I need to learn how to find people interested in making movies who will work for little to nothing so my pocketbooks won't be burned to the ground trying to make this idea a reality.
So what has changed in the past few weeks in regards with Tom. Well, anyone who knows me should know that I am a student of behavior and I find most of what I need to know about people's true intentions based almost solely on their behaviors. I've always had reservations about Tom being a pacifier and it seems as though these initial perceptions are creeping back around and making me feel as though much of his behavior toward me has been more of an expression of his desire to work for Cass over his desire to work with me.
I'm a direct person and I express myself directly. If I'm genuinely unappealing as a person and my presence in any relationship is more of a hardship than a benefit.......forget it! This is pointless. This is paranoia and nothing more. If Tom doesn't want to work with me then he'll end up telling me because I'm going to bug the fuck out of him over this movie that he'll be driven crazy by my never ending intrusion into his life. At this point, I'd rather bug the fuck out of someone and have my fears materialize than suspect the worse and withdraw myself from the situation based only on my own hunch.
I may be wrong or I may be right, neither of these things matter to me. The end result is more important than all and that is all I strive to achieve. The one thing I know for sure is that I cannot nor will not abide obstructions in my path to make this movie a reality. If I feel anyone I bring on to help me has become more of a burden than a blessing, then they are out. I can't do everything myself and that's the point. If I'm seeking outside involvement in this process, it's because I need people to do their job, not for them to rely on me to guide them through every aspect of the process.
That's all there is. I may have to confront Tom about this if, for no other reason, to ease my mind. I have my concerns when it comes to our work relationship versus our non-work relationship. These things must remain separate, but I know that the distinction is hard to make at times. I'm doing what I can. I don't feel like I absolutely need Tom to pursue my dream, but his involvement could potentially help. There's really only one way to know, now isn't there?
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( 3.1 / 11 )Yet another movie idea
Tuesday, April 6, 2010, 11:23 AM
I don't know why I've been having so many great and detailed dreams lately, but last night I had another. I woke up at 5 in the morning unable to get back to sleep because I was working out the dream I just had into a tangible story. I just finished writing up a 7 page outline of the story and I'd have to say that if I could turn this into a script within the next month, I would much rather work on this than my original idea. That's not to say that I'm jumping from idea to idea because I can't decide what I want to do. It's just the fact that for my delirium short to work I'm going to need a lot of things, like locations and props that I don't know how to get. My second short idea seems interesting too, only takes place in one location, but requires a fuck load of special effects that I don't know how to do.
This story takes place in a town not unlike Beardstown or Virginia or wherever (small town), but also calls for shots in Chicago, Las Vegas and a smaller type city (Springfield); all of which are absolutely doable. Outside of a few gun shots and two squibs, there really isn't anything difficult with the story that couldn't be pulled off on a small budge. In the end, that is what I'm mostly concerned with. I'm probably going to have to pay for all of this, so I really want to make sure I can keep my monetary needs as low as I can. While I know I've asked Tom to produce whatever it is I'm going to make, I don't know how apt he'll be at scaring up money to do this thing. Also, I've got a few tricks up my sleeve if I can sweet talk my way into a few things. Mwa-ha-ha-ha!!
Well, enough about that. I guess I'll have to wait and see. Oh and I FINALLY got my tax return! Now let's see how fast it disappears!
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( 3.7 / 19 )See ya later, aligator!
Monday, April 5, 2010, 05:13 PM
I just did a recent count of my beer collection. I have 496 unique bottles of beer. I don't remember how many cans I have as I haven't displayed them in a year, but I pulled them back out to use the case they were in to box up my 12 oz bottles. That's right, I've cleared out all the 12 oz bottles from my cabinet and have made room for future volumes of beer. Before I boxed them up, I took pictures (video, actually) of all 496 bottles. I'm going to put them up on my YouTube account pretty soon. Outside of a few final episodes of Talkin' Beer and an explanation on what is going on, that will be the end of that series. It's silly for me to point out how most of the beer I've had isn't all that great, especially when I haven't had some of them for a couple of years and don't really remember anything about them.
Still haven't gotten our income tax return yet, but it should be arriving this week. Sariah and I cleaned the house a bit today and I've been working on editing together compilation videos of my favorite scenes from MST3k for my new YouTube channel. It's under the name MostvaluablePrimate because that was the only thing I could think of that actually cleared. I'm just coming off being sick, which was pretty much my entire weekend. I still feel kind of shitty, but nothing that will keep me from work. Over the weekend I wrote another outline for a script. I figure as long as the ideas keep coming I'll jot down outlines and potentially develop them independently in the future. It's not bad, but it's kind of formulaic and would require quite a bit of special effects work to pull off. Outside of that, it's not bad.
I guess I'm going to get back to cutting together more videos. I don't really feel like doing much else other than that right now. Tried a Dark Horse Perkulator Coffee Dopplebock. Yes, it's as nasty as it sounds. I've got a bomber of Avery IPA in the fridge I might tear into, but I'm not entirely sure as of yet. My throat is still giving me some shit. One thing I do know is that I'm going to do my best to just sample new beers instead of get shitfaced on them. I'm getting rid of my Xbox Live account and finishing up the beer video stuff to concentrate on this one thing. If I can make this work, perhaps in a year or so I'll have this whole thing under control and will be able to venture out into the world as a reasonably normal person again.
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( 2.9 / 14 )Still waiting.....
Saturday, April 3, 2010, 10:38 AM
Where in the hell is our federal tax return? It should have been deposited by now!
It's 10:16 AM Saturday morning and I'm not really sure what I want to do today, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to end up doing nothing. My throat is all fucked up now, adding to both my back and tooth pain. Things just keep getting better. Sariah has been a bitch to me for the past couple of days and I'm not sure why. I guess she doesn't believe me when I tell her I feel like shit, even though she says all the time that I'm a horrible liar. She just doesn't care.
It rained all night last night and from what I've seen so far, it looks like it could rain again. I've got some stuff I could watch on Netflix; one of the last things I'm going to watch, but it would consume my entire day. I could get out and go to the park. I might do that. I've still got the 7D, so I could get out and shoot some nature crap or something. Tom's probably got phantom limb going without the 7D for a weekend. I swear since we got it he's taken it home every weekend since. I'm probably going to have to put an end to that because he had a lens in his truck and didn't even know it. That spells disaster later down the road if he actually loses something.
I know the feeling of excitement one gets when they get a new toy, but for me, that excitement fades pretty fast. I can't believe Tom still gets energized by using the 7D. Personally, I don't ever use the thing until I have a reason to. I need a plan of action before I start moving on something. It's just the way my mind works now. I should be location scouting for my movie, but since it's pretty much all interior shots, that's going to be somewhat difficult. Tom's been sick for the past few weeks, so I'm not sure how into this idea he is. I think he's mostly thinking that I'm just going to lose interest in the idea like I did my last script idea, but this is different. This is a complete short story and although I want to refine it still, the base of the story is intact, just as the outline has been for quite a while.
I'll learn more in the coming weeks, but my gut reaction is that my initial fears were true and that Tom will not be as engaged in a project he's not calling the shots on, which makes him more of a liability than an asset. For the process to work, he has to be personally dedicated to the project. I can't spend any of my time worrying about whether or not Tom's into things or not. I guess I don't really know why I feel I need a partner in any of this, but I do. Not so much for feeling more legitimate, but more for support. I need someone who will support the process and care about it as much as I do. Lately, all I get from Tom is that if he doesn't get his say in the matter, he's not going to be much of a help.
This is all gut feelings though. Ask me again in a couple of weeks how I feel about Tom's engagement to the project and I'll probably be singing his praises. The fact of the matter is that I haven't discussed this fully with Tom as of yet. It's pretty much up to me to get the ball rolling, but I kind of feel funny about it at the same time. I don't know. Maybe that's what I'll do today. It couldn't hurt.
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( 3 / 21 )Death rattle
Wednesday, March 31, 2010, 09:28 AM
I've been checking out prices online and it looks like I can get a decent deal on 3 Mb DSL through Verizon for what I was paying for cable broadband before. As soon as we get our tax return I'm going to make the switch. Goodbye Mediacom! You suck and I hope you get run out of town soon!
I know there has been talk of Cass potentially opening up wireless internet services to Jacksonville. Our techs are laying fiber to Jacksonville right now with the idea that in the next year or so they'll be able to tie the Carrollton/Jerseyville system into our main system. If they can open up wireless internet in Jacksonville, I'll be a happy, happy man.
My tooth is infected again and I'm in a butt load of pain. I've got so much to do today that I'm just going to have to deal with it. I really need to contact Andy about the capital city cage wars stuff. I forgot what I was even going to ask him. Damn!
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( 3 / 22 )Goodbye cruel world!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010, 10:34 PM
I've decided that I've had enough...of my beard. It's gone now, but it will be back before I realize. I still need to get a hair cut, but I have to wait til after I get paid before I can do that. Tomorrow I have to go to a meeting with Laymon and J.R. Blair of West Central Bank. I also have some Roger Jennings spots to start on. Sariah is watching The Dark Crystal right now.
Last night I got drunk and had a super long phone conversation with Payne. Sariah said I was babbling nonsense in my sleep again last night, but the only difference was that while I was babbling, I was groping her breast as well. I just don't know anymore.
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( 3 / 18 )Notes on paper
Monday, March 29, 2010, 08:11 AM
My script is finished. I'm going to review it over the course of the next few weeks and revise it as needed. I already know of some changes that I'll be making right off the bat, but other than that I want to ensure I stay fairly true to my original idea. Sariah and I talked about it last night and she expressed a lot of interest in it and told me that she feels this story is one that sounds like it will be really good and she wants me to take it seriously. That meant a lot to me because she usually isn't interested in anything I've written.
I am taking this seriously, however the main problem I'm having now is describing the movie. This problem became apparent Friday when I was trying to explain the whole concept to Tom and he wasn't getting it. It's going to be hard for me to get people interested in this movie if I can't even explain to them what I'm going for. So that is pretty high on my list of things to do during them month of April. I need to make sure it stays true to my original concept, but revise a few things here and there or add some more dialog here and there, depending. While I'm doing this I have to develop an extremely short synopsis of the story that will make sense to anyone I tell it to.
My main concern is still securing locations, but last night I also thought that since I'm going to be using one location that Tom has used in the past few months, I imagine people closest to Tom will think that this is just some off-shoot, long-form byproduct of his video, when it was the other way around. I'm not saying Tom took my idea and made his own thing of it, I'm just saying that I had the outline for this movie written up before Tom came up with the idea for shooting the Doctor video.
This may actually impact my ability to cast the movie as one of the front runners for the lead role was the doctor in the doctor video. That's just a little too much similarity for me to feel comfortable with it.
Crap, I've got to go!
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( 3.1 / 19 )One last item of business
Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 07:45 PM
FUCK JUSTIN BIEBER!
I'm tired of seeing this fucking kid everywhere I turn. This country should be nuked and nuked hard for allowing this little fuck to plague every media resource with his nonsense. I mean, for fucks sake you can see the strings plain as day!
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( 2.9 / 23 )Sonofabitch!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 05:23 PM
It's 4:15 PM. I've been awake for almost 20 hours now. I'm nauseous and have a strong discomfort in my sternum. About an hour ago Sariah thought I was running a fever because I was cold. Whatever.
I'm 12 pages into the first draft of my script and it's coming along as planned in the outline, however I think I might have to add a little more to it once I'm finished with the outline as the outline is going to come up a bit short for time. I'm shooting for 30 minutes and being at page 12 roughly translates to around 15 minutes of the movie. I've got an action sequence coming up immediately and after that is pretty much the end of my initial outline. That's a maximum of 5 pages of material!
I've been telling the story from the guys perspective, but I think I'm going to save a bunch of the reality for a second recap telling in which the audience is shown the same scenario only from the perspective of the woman. That should allow me to pad out the movie for at least another 6-7 pages. All in all it should turn out okay. I will definitely have the first draft finished by the end of this week. I was hoping to go over it with Tom to polish it a bit, but I think he's fully booked.
Payne's been calling me. I'm assuming it has something to do with his script, but I don't know why. Either he's giving up on the initial idea or he's stuck on something and can't move forward. Either way I'm going to have to talk to him before anything happens on that front. I'm re-watching Salt Creek County again. I figured after watching Hampshire yesterday I should give it another try to see if I can extract anything more out of it that I was too stubborn to see the first time around.
I remember thinking the whole time I was watching Hampshire that in the same amount of time it took Chris to tell his story, Tom Snyder and Adam Galassi made a movie that told a far broader story, involved a much larger cast and seemed to keep an entertaining pace throughout. I mean, Salt Creek County is by no means a masterpiece, but it's lighthearted and perhaps it's easier to forgive for that reason alone.
I don't know. I had to take a break and help Sariah upholster a table with clear vinyl. In exchange she's picking me up some sleep insurance (beer). Back to the movie now.
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