I received an email from the Nanowrimo folks asking if I was going to write a novel in 30 days in November again. I wasn't sure if I was going to do it, but I told them to put me on the list.

I was at a cafe last night writing in my journal, and I came up with an idea for a novel, and even outlined a possible chapter structure. I didn't think I had any more novel ideas I wanted to pursue, but this one came and I like it.

My last two Nanowrimo novels weren't complete novels, but just the start of novels. I didn't know back then anything about how to structure a novel. Not anymore.

I learned a really cool trick in my writing seminar at Learning Annex last month, on how to outline a story, and so far it's been working. Actually, I'm combining outlining ideas I learned in my screenwriting class with the new technique I learned in last month's class.

So I'm going to attempt to write a novel from start to finish this time, and it will be a romance of sorts.

For some reason I was thinking about my good friend B from Dallas, who I don't talk to anymore because he said he couldn't be friends with me without wanting soemthing more. I still miss him, but he did what he had to do for his own well-being and I can't him fault him for doing that. But B from Dallas was such a trip and a character, that I was thinking he would make a great fictional character if I amped him up big time.

That governor debate was scary. Peter Camejo of the Green party is a lunatic. The man is so scary! Ariana is a fright.

Actually liked McClintock a ton, but I could never vote for him because of his social views who will have the right to appoint judges. Can't have judges with McClintock's social views legislating from the judicial bench.

Arnold was scary, and Bustamente, well, I am a democrat voting NO on the recall after all and I could never vote for a republican for the any high government office.

The LA Times last week ran an article on the old Al Pacino movie "Scarface" because there's a new print of it in theatres right now, but I couldn't read it because the darn LA Times is now charging about $40 a year to read their Calendar Live articles. I love the LA Times, but I don't know if I love them enough to pay $40 a year to read one of their sections.

I'd never seen "Scarface", so I went out and rented the movie. It was a great movie, and definitely a classic.

Now the NY Times also followed suit and wrote an article about "Scarface", 'Scarface,' a Foul Mouth With a Following. The article says it's now an underground classic among hip-hop fans and how college students are throwing "Scarface" parties.

Brian De Palma directed the movie, and Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay. Al Pacino has a really bad cuban accent, but his performance is so over top and great, that it makes up for the fact that his accent is more italian than cuban.

A DVD is being released by Universal which will include prominent rappers talking about how influential "Scarface" is to them. P. Diddy says he saw the movie 63 times.

I really loved the movie up until the very end, when the Tony Montana character started to just make me mad. The end of "Scarface" reminded me of an F. Scott Fitgerald novel I hated so much because of the ending that I've blocked memories of the novel from my mind. I hated that Fitgerald novel so much, the experience made me think Fitzgerald only wrote great short stories and wrote awful novels.

I really should reread that Fitgerald novel again, if I can remember which one it was, just to see if it makes me crazy again. I read the novel sometime during college, and my values were definitely different then.

If you haven't seen "Scarface", or it's been awhile, watch it again because it really is a great movie classic and showcases a young Pacino at this best.

NY Times columnist and middle east specialist Thomas Friedman was interviewed on KGO AM this morning. His insights are so great, and he had some interesting comments about the war in Iraq and politics in general.

Below are a few of his gems but I'm paraphrasing what he said:

France wants us to fail in Iraq, and won't help us and will do everything to insure we fail. They are not an ally, they are our enemy.

To my liberal friends, some things are true even if George Bush says them.

To politicians - Never put yourself in a political position where when you succeed the US fails.

I still stand behind my position that the US was right to go to war with Iraq, even though I had strong reservations.

There is freedom of speech in the arab world, but there is no freedom of after speech in the arab world, and that's why I supported the US led war in Iraq.