No media coverage on this, at least I didn't see it.
Here we go. Let the f-bombs fly.
Bono remarks were not indecent, FCC rules
"When it comes to cursing, the government says, it's all in the delivery. That's the view of the Federal Communications Commission in its decision that U2 singer Bono's colorful language during the Golden Globe Awards didn't violate federal indecency rules.
The FCC rejected complaints from the Parents Television Council and more than 200 people, most of them associated with the council, who accused dozens of television stations of violating restrictions on obscene broadcasts by airing portions of the awards program last January.
The complaints objected to Bono's uttering the phrase "this is really, really, f--- brilliant."
The FCC, using the F-word more often to explain its decision than Bono did on the air, said the word "may be crude and offensive, but, in the context presented here, did not describe sexual or excretory organs or activities." That distinction is a key test to measure whether a statement meets a federal standard for broadcast indecency."
Monday, November 17, 2003
I listened to the inauguration ceremony on the radio and I'll say one thing about Governor Terminator, he's got a heck of speech writer.
It makes me wonder why all the candidates running for public office can't have good speech writers. Aren't their enough unemployed people in the country to choose from?
It makes me wonder why all the candidates running for public office can't have good speech writers. Aren't their enough unemployed people in the country to choose from?
Sunday, November 16, 2003
I am the laziest person I know. I didn't write on Friday or Saturday, and today is my chance to get caught up on my novel and I don't want to do it.
I wrote enough tonight to cover Friday's word count, and I know if I just keep writing till I get sleep I'll be all caught for Sunday's word count. The problem is I just don't want to do it.
I don't know why either. It's not like I don't know what I'm going to write about because I do. And it's not like I'm having trouble writing either, because getting the word count for Friday earlier this evening was easy.
I just have such a desire to not write. It's crazy too, because I was just telling myself this morning that I've achieved my goal of being a writer, if a writer is someone who writes almost every day and produces stories. I've done that.
Now my new goal is to be a paid writer, which is a whole new way of writing and a whole new process. My goal has always been to be a paid writer, but being paid for writing is an entirely different proposition than being just a "writer" I've decided. I needed to become a writer first, before I could tackle being a "paid writer".
My new writing book gave me the inspiration. The book plainly and simply states that you cannot call yourself a writer, unless you write and produce product. It doesn't give define the quality of the product you produce, because that's not the point if you're a writer. A writer is simply a person who writes regularly everyday.
I wrote enough tonight to cover Friday's word count, and I know if I just keep writing till I get sleep I'll be all caught for Sunday's word count. The problem is I just don't want to do it.
I don't know why either. It's not like I don't know what I'm going to write about because I do. And it's not like I'm having trouble writing either, because getting the word count for Friday earlier this evening was easy.
I just have such a desire to not write. It's crazy too, because I was just telling myself this morning that I've achieved my goal of being a writer, if a writer is someone who writes almost every day and produces stories. I've done that.
Now my new goal is to be a paid writer, which is a whole new way of writing and a whole new process. My goal has always been to be a paid writer, but being paid for writing is an entirely different proposition than being just a "writer" I've decided. I needed to become a writer first, before I could tackle being a "paid writer".
My new writing book gave me the inspiration. The book plainly and simply states that you cannot call yourself a writer, unless you write and produce product. It doesn't give define the quality of the product you produce, because that's not the point if you're a writer. A writer is simply a person who writes regularly everyday.
Saturday, November 15, 2003
I went to see the movie Billabong Odyssey today.
"The feature film release "Billabong Odyssey" documents the dramatic life-or-death adventures of a team of surfer/explorers who search the seven seas on the quest to find and ride the biggest wave on the planet."
It was pretty cool to see these huge waves being surfed, but I wonder what surf purists think about being towed out to a wave instead of paddling out.
Whenever I see surf movie, I feel like I'm honouring my Hawaii home roots since I grew up watching surf movies, and thinking surfers, skateboarders and windsurfers were like so rad and cool!
The movie website has videos you can watch, which are small bits of the movie.
"The feature film release "Billabong Odyssey" documents the dramatic life-or-death adventures of a team of surfer/explorers who search the seven seas on the quest to find and ride the biggest wave on the planet."
It was pretty cool to see these huge waves being surfed, but I wonder what surf purists think about being towed out to a wave instead of paddling out.
Whenever I see surf movie, I feel like I'm honouring my Hawaii home roots since I grew up watching surf movies, and thinking surfers, skateboarders and windsurfers were like so rad and cool!
The movie website has videos you can watch, which are small bits of the movie.
Friday, November 14, 2003
I just listened to an interview with Brit actor Colin Firth, who played Mr. D'Arcy in "Pride and Prejudice" and "Bridget Jones' Diary". I love Mr. D'Arcy, like what girl doesnt'?
I didn't know this but the interviewer said that the scene in "Pride and Prejudice" which made Colin Firth a heart throb, was the one where he dives with his clothes on into the lake at his estate and emerges in his wet shirt. I didn't think that scene was sexy at all, but apparently many women did.
Colin Firth also writes, and one of his short stories was published in a book called Speaking with the Angel, edited by Nick Hornby.
Colin Firth, one of those totally yummy bickie Brit boys, is a writer. He says he writes as a hobby without any ambition to be published, and that Nick Hornby encouraged him to contribute his story to the collection. He's brilliant, isn't he?
I didn't know this but the interviewer said that the scene in "Pride and Prejudice" which made Colin Firth a heart throb, was the one where he dives with his clothes on into the lake at his estate and emerges in his wet shirt. I didn't think that scene was sexy at all, but apparently many women did.
Colin Firth also writes, and one of his short stories was published in a book called Speaking with the Angel, edited by Nick Hornby.
Colin Firth, one of those totally yummy bickie Brit boys, is a writer. He says he writes as a hobby without any ambition to be published, and that Nick Hornby encouraged him to contribute his story to the collection. He's brilliant, isn't he?
Thursday, November 13, 2003
Warning, unedited bad first draft fiction ahead. Below is the excerpt I posted for my novel on the Nanowrimo site.
Title: Texas is a State of Mind
Chapter 1.
It all started innocently enough. Just a series of random events that started happening in my life that could have turned out another way. I was writing articles on the ceo’s of various dot com companies that had failed during the crash of 2000. You know the guys who promised internet startup riches to venture capitalists, and the hapless public who saw the internet boom as the next get rich scheme. These same guys then proceeded to lose more than a trillion dollars worth of money during the crash. And not their money mind you, but the money of countless investors, companies and the greedy public. Yeah those guys.
Those guys were smart. They made their money in the beginning, gave themselves nice golden parachutes so in case the companies went belly up as all of them did, they would still have enough money to cook up their next get rich scheme. Ah golden parachute, now there’s a nice term that I should explain.
A golden parachute is the deal, the package, a ceo, usually the founder of a company demands in case for whatever reason he is let go, wants to leave or is fired. See, the guy has leverage in the beginning because he’s the one with the ideas and it’s his startup company.
The deal is usually lots of lots of cash, sometimes things like a plane, the company car, the company house, you know all the goodies the guy at the top should get and keep getting, never mind that the company’s stock is sinking lower than the Titanic.
And these ceo’s, they were great interview material. None of them were bitter. Would you be bitter if you walked away with millions? No, they were positive, upbeat, great talkers and salesmen and believers of their own dreams and visions. After all this time, after all the money they lost and people they let down, they were still willing to sell their dream.
And the public loved them. Loved reading about them. They were modern day Horatio Algers. These former high flying ceos were the guys everybody wanted to be, wanted to know, wanted to follow. That is until he came along.
“You’ve got to interview this guy Jane. He would be a great counterpoint to all the other people you’ve interviewed so far.” John my editor told me one morning during our weekly Monday morning assignment meeting. It was John’s idea to do the ceo articles, and he was the one who arranged for me to meet these people and interview them.
“Raker? Never heard of him.”
“That’s the point. Nobody’s ever heard of him. He’s the CEO who never was, who got there right at the top of the dot come wave, right before it was to crash. He was just about to hit it big, his company was about to go public at the end of April, and the boom, the crash happened.” John was up out of his chair now, his arms flying about like a bird who’s trying to take off.
“So how you’d hear about him?” I said in an even toned voice sitting back in my chair, hoping to calm him down. John standing up like that made me nervous; he was too excited. John sat down and smiled like a kid with a secret.
“Businessweek.”
“Businessweek? You’re stealing a story lead from them?”
“It’s not stealing. They just did a paragraph on him, when they were doing a special on the business climate in Texas after the dot com crash.” John was shuffling through the papers on his desk to find the magazine. It was buried under a pile of about twenty other journals at the bottom of his desk. He plopped the magazine down in front of me.
“Here’s your next assignment. I’ll get my secretary to schedule the interview. You might have to fly to Dallas to do the interview this week. He doesn’t like California.”
"Wait a minute. I don’t know anything about him. I need time to do my research about him.” I hated going into an interview blind and not knowing anything about my subject. An interviewer has less control that way.
“There’s not going to much information to research. I told you he wasn’t famous. But if it would make you more comfortable, I’ll try to get the interview scheduled for Wednesday of next week. You might be able to do more research once you’re in Dallas, so think about flying there on Monday. I expect the completed story on my desk the Monday after you get back.”
“What made you pick him?” I asked thumbing through the magazine to find the paragraph about Mr. Raker.
“He’s bitter about the whole experience.
You haven’t found a bitter CEO yet. This will be your first.”
After leaving John’s office, I went to the corner coffee shop to get breakfast and read about his latest discovery. A bitter failed dot com chief executive officer. A guy who almost made it, but never did. Marshall B. Raker was my next assignment, and even I could tell he was going to be a doozy.
Title: Texas is a State of Mind
Chapter 1.
It all started innocently enough. Just a series of random events that started happening in my life that could have turned out another way. I was writing articles on the ceo’s of various dot com companies that had failed during the crash of 2000. You know the guys who promised internet startup riches to venture capitalists, and the hapless public who saw the internet boom as the next get rich scheme. These same guys then proceeded to lose more than a trillion dollars worth of money during the crash. And not their money mind you, but the money of countless investors, companies and the greedy public. Yeah those guys.
Those guys were smart. They made their money in the beginning, gave themselves nice golden parachutes so in case the companies went belly up as all of them did, they would still have enough money to cook up their next get rich scheme. Ah golden parachute, now there’s a nice term that I should explain.
A golden parachute is the deal, the package, a ceo, usually the founder of a company demands in case for whatever reason he is let go, wants to leave or is fired. See, the guy has leverage in the beginning because he’s the one with the ideas and it’s his startup company.
The deal is usually lots of lots of cash, sometimes things like a plane, the company car, the company house, you know all the goodies the guy at the top should get and keep getting, never mind that the company’s stock is sinking lower than the Titanic.
And these ceo’s, they were great interview material. None of them were bitter. Would you be bitter if you walked away with millions? No, they were positive, upbeat, great talkers and salesmen and believers of their own dreams and visions. After all this time, after all the money they lost and people they let down, they were still willing to sell their dream.
And the public loved them. Loved reading about them. They were modern day Horatio Algers. These former high flying ceos were the guys everybody wanted to be, wanted to know, wanted to follow. That is until he came along.
“You’ve got to interview this guy Jane. He would be a great counterpoint to all the other people you’ve interviewed so far.” John my editor told me one morning during our weekly Monday morning assignment meeting. It was John’s idea to do the ceo articles, and he was the one who arranged for me to meet these people and interview them.
“Raker? Never heard of him.”
“That’s the point. Nobody’s ever heard of him. He’s the CEO who never was, who got there right at the top of the dot come wave, right before it was to crash. He was just about to hit it big, his company was about to go public at the end of April, and the boom, the crash happened.” John was up out of his chair now, his arms flying about like a bird who’s trying to take off.
“So how you’d hear about him?” I said in an even toned voice sitting back in my chair, hoping to calm him down. John standing up like that made me nervous; he was too excited. John sat down and smiled like a kid with a secret.
“Businessweek.”
“Businessweek? You’re stealing a story lead from them?”
“It’s not stealing. They just did a paragraph on him, when they were doing a special on the business climate in Texas after the dot com crash.” John was shuffling through the papers on his desk to find the magazine. It was buried under a pile of about twenty other journals at the bottom of his desk. He plopped the magazine down in front of me.
“Here’s your next assignment. I’ll get my secretary to schedule the interview. You might have to fly to Dallas to do the interview this week. He doesn’t like California.”
"Wait a minute. I don’t know anything about him. I need time to do my research about him.” I hated going into an interview blind and not knowing anything about my subject. An interviewer has less control that way.
“There’s not going to much information to research. I told you he wasn’t famous. But if it would make you more comfortable, I’ll try to get the interview scheduled for Wednesday of next week. You might be able to do more research once you’re in Dallas, so think about flying there on Monday. I expect the completed story on my desk the Monday after you get back.”
“What made you pick him?” I asked thumbing through the magazine to find the paragraph about Mr. Raker.
“He’s bitter about the whole experience.
You haven’t found a bitter CEO yet. This will be your first.”
After leaving John’s office, I went to the corner coffee shop to get breakfast and read about his latest discovery. A bitter failed dot com chief executive officer. A guy who almost made it, but never did. Marshall B. Raker was my next assignment, and even I could tell he was going to be a doozy.
More 60's music with The Doors first album. I think I mentioned sometime ago that my mom was a serious Jim Morrison fan. The woman was so distraught when he died.
Okay, so now my characters are driving to this restaurant in Dallas called The Mustang Cafe at Las Colinas. The horse sculptures at the place are beautiful.
Jim Morrison is crooning "Come on baby my light fire, come on baby light my fire, try to set the night on fire." The Doors are also definitely stoner music.
Okay, so now my characters are driving to this restaurant in Dallas called The Mustang Cafe at Las Colinas. The horse sculptures at the place are beautiful.
Jim Morrison is crooning "Come on baby my light fire, come on baby light my fire, try to set the night on fire." The Doors are also definitely stoner music.
I'm listening The Byrds greatest hits. I heard their song "8 miles high" on the radio the other day, and it reminded me of my friend B from Chicago, whom I lost touch with when she moved to NYC. "8 miles high" was her favourite song, because she loved being high and walking around in her hip huggers and skimpy shirts with all the guys staring at her.
She was really tall, couldn't gain weight to save her life and had a naturally flat tummy. Chick never exercised at all. She was hypoglecemic and had to constanly eat, and it was ill how she just never gained weight. She had the opposite problem of most women. She had to be careful she didnt' get too thin because she lost weight so easily. The woman ate like a horse because she had to, not because she wanted to.
She was always telling me she wished she didn't have to eat so much, and how her health was such a problem. She was a total trip! B had the problem most women would kill for, I would kill for, and to her it was the biggest pain in the butt!
The Byrds are such stoner music! Or tripping music, if your prefer. Them and Jimi Hendrix.
The Byrds are mood music for my novel. The parents of of my female character were anti-war protestors during the Vietnam War and met at an anti-war demonstration at Cal on Shattuck Avenue. Her dad was a member of SDS, that group that used to blow up things during the late 60's. SDS blew up the B of A at UC Santa Barbara.
My character still has the dog tags that her mother gave her, that belonged to a missing POW. People use to wear them during the Vietnam War as a form of protest.
She was really tall, couldn't gain weight to save her life and had a naturally flat tummy. Chick never exercised at all. She was hypoglecemic and had to constanly eat, and it was ill how she just never gained weight. She had the opposite problem of most women. She had to be careful she didnt' get too thin because she lost weight so easily. The woman ate like a horse because she had to, not because she wanted to.
She was always telling me she wished she didn't have to eat so much, and how her health was such a problem. She was a total trip! B had the problem most women would kill for, I would kill for, and to her it was the biggest pain in the butt!
The Byrds are such stoner music! Or tripping music, if your prefer. Them and Jimi Hendrix.
The Byrds are mood music for my novel. The parents of of my female character were anti-war protestors during the Vietnam War and met at an anti-war demonstration at Cal on Shattuck Avenue. Her dad was a member of SDS, that group that used to blow up things during the late 60's. SDS blew up the B of A at UC Santa Barbara.
My character still has the dog tags that her mother gave her, that belonged to a missing POW. People use to wear them during the Vietnam War as a form of protest.
Wednesday, November 12, 2003
So I finally got around to seeing the movie "Bend it like Beckham", and it was so cute. I was surprised how attractive Jonathan Rhys Meyers turned out.
I've seen him in movie roles before, and I wasn't that impressed. But this movie actually made him look quite attractive in his own way, and his acting was very good as well.
I loved the soundtrack to the film, and am seriously thinking of getting the CD. I love all that modern indian music.
All that football/soccer reminded me of those soccer guys I dated; the fun english bloke from Southport who used to play in the English minor leagues and that really tall guy (6ft 5 in) from Austin whom a friend of mine tried to fix me up. Tall Austin guy played for various minor league soccer teams throughout Europe.
I've seen him in movie roles before, and I wasn't that impressed. But this movie actually made him look quite attractive in his own way, and his acting was very good as well.
I loved the soundtrack to the film, and am seriously thinking of getting the CD. I love all that modern indian music.
All that football/soccer reminded me of those soccer guys I dated; the fun english bloke from Southport who used to play in the English minor leagues and that really tall guy (6ft 5 in) from Austin whom a friend of mine tried to fix me up. Tall Austin guy played for various minor league soccer teams throughout Europe.
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
I didn't write yesterday, and I got behind in my word count but I'm all caught up today. I'm on chapter 5, and it's taking longer to write than expected. I'll probably at least another on it. This may mean chapter 6 may take three days to write as well.
I'm trying not to be too rigid about chapter length. I'm getting into the heart of my story, so it makes sense that these next chapters are going to be longer because more of the story is unfolding.
My story is so far 34.5 pages single spaced. I'm aiming for 120 -125 pages.
I'm trying not to be too rigid about chapter length. I'm getting into the heart of my story, so it makes sense that these next chapters are going to be longer because more of the story is unfolding.
My story is so far 34.5 pages single spaced. I'm aiming for 120 -125 pages.
Don't know why, but I've been thinking about books recommended to be my past loves.
M - first love, wanted me to read "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, said it really changed his life.
J - poet, wanted me to read Dylan Thomas.
B - first guy who was a total best friend and love interest, recommended "A Prayer for Owen Meany", any Dickens and "Moby Dick".
J - the ex-husband, recommended Will Durant the historian, Sri Aurobindo, Plotinus, and Marcus Aurelius.
M - first love, wanted me to read "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, said it really changed his life.
J - poet, wanted me to read Dylan Thomas.
B - first guy who was a total best friend and love interest, recommended "A Prayer for Owen Meany", any Dickens and "Moby Dick".
J - the ex-husband, recommended Will Durant the historian, Sri Aurobindo, Plotinus, and Marcus Aurelius.
So I signed up for Film History, because I was talking a guy friend of mine last night and he said it would be a good class to meet guys. My guy friend is always bugging me about dating, and trying to get me to go back to online dating. He says I'll never meet anyone if I don't put myself out there.
So after arguing about online dating, we compromised and I said I would take the film history class.
So after arguing about online dating, we compromised and I said I would take the film history class.
Monday, November 10, 2003
Well now I'm freaked out. The last time the birdies tried to talk to me, I got into a car accident a week later. Those darn robins were knocking on office window daily, like they were trying to tell me something or warn me.
And now this little greenish brown birdie was doing the same thing on Saturday. I don't like it.
And now this little greenish brown birdie was doing the same thing on Saturday. I don't like it.
On Saturday I was sitting and eating pizza in the alley way between Embardero 4 and The Hyatt Regency, when a birdie landed on the chair next to mine.
The birdie was so cute. It just plopped its birdie butt on the chair like it was a person. The birdie was looking at me and chirping like it was trying to start a conversation. The birdie was so frickin' adorable!!! Such a little bitty thing in a big wooden chair. And it looked like a cartoon birdie too.
The the birdie flew off, and I was wishing it came back. Five minutes later it landed on another chair across from mine, and started chirping at me, and flapping its wings. I loved that birdie, it was so cuuuute!
The birdie was so cute. It just plopped its birdie butt on the chair like it was a person. The birdie was looking at me and chirping like it was trying to start a conversation. The birdie was so frickin' adorable!!! Such a little bitty thing in a big wooden chair. And it looked like a cartoon birdie too.
The the birdie flew off, and I was wishing it came back. Five minutes later it landed on another chair across from mine, and started chirping at me, and flapping its wings. I loved that birdie, it was so cuuuute!
I was looking at what class to take next year, because I'm supposed to register tomorrow.
My choices were:
Musical Appreciation - I used to always wonder what they teach you in this class.
Film Study - A friend took it and said it was really cool because you get to watch movies during class
Intro to Astronomy - always a fascinating subject
Intro to Physics - never took it in college, so why not.
Tragic Dramas of Greece - took the class in college and I feel like reviewing.
I'll probably sign up for Tragic Dramas of Greece, since it relates to screenwriting and writing. But Film Study and Musical Appreciation are tempting as well.
I'd really like to take a class on Japanese Art or Japanese Literature, but I can't find a class.
My choices were:
Musical Appreciation - I used to always wonder what they teach you in this class.
Film Study - A friend took it and said it was really cool because you get to watch movies during class
Intro to Astronomy - always a fascinating subject
Intro to Physics - never took it in college, so why not.
Tragic Dramas of Greece - took the class in college and I feel like reviewing.
I'll probably sign up for Tragic Dramas of Greece, since it relates to screenwriting and writing. But Film Study and Musical Appreciation are tempting as well.
I'd really like to take a class on Japanese Art or Japanese Literature, but I can't find a class.
I just saw the trailer for that new movie that's coming next year called The Day After Tomorrow. It looks like it's going to be a cool movies, at least the awesome special effects portion of it. I love the title too!
The Day After Tomorrow
Logline: A climatological disruption of inconceivable proportions ravages the world, sending millions of terrified survivors surging South. Heading in the other direction, however, is a brilliant paleoclimatologist whose own son may still be alive in New York City, now a frozen wasteland.
The Day After Tomorrow
Logline: A climatological disruption of inconceivable proportions ravages the world, sending millions of terrified survivors surging South. Heading in the other direction, however, is a brilliant paleoclimatologist whose own son may still be alive in New York City, now a frozen wasteland.
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