The Good, the bad and the distractor

Another birthday has passed. A very nice low key birthday. Perfect. Friday's lunch was wonderful and had a very pleasant surprise. Phillip tricked my wife and brought a surprise birthday cake for me. Very nice, Thank you Phillip. Of course my wife had a few tricks up her sleeve with balloons, chocolate and a photo shoot at the Melting Pot, later that night. No complaints here, it didn't draw too much attention, in fact, I don't think anyone really noticed. This was the good.

The bad-I feel drained today. Something in my life is sucking the creative fire from me like a Mr. Price. I know what, but I cannot reveal the source here. It's not a secret, I just don't want someone who could possibly stumble across this and figure it out. With Nanowrimo about to kick off, this does not give a good outlook for the next month. In fact, I'm not even sure what I going to write. I recently started a project which I can't use and I'm not to keen on the idea I intended to use.

The distractor-Knights of the Old Republic II: the Sith Lords. I'm having withdrawls right now. I need to play. What's even worse is that my wife is totally addicted to the game as well. I should have waited until December but I really wanted the game and I had birthday money to spare. I even woke up early this morning just to get some game time in. I usually wake up early on Mondays to take out the trash, which I did but then I quickly moved through my morning routine and played for nearly two hours. Now I can't wait to get home and play some more. This is going to take some really strong will power to balance my time.

Romance of the Jedi

Man, I wish I'd seen this movie.

Talk about weird

I don't always read my horoscope but for the past week, I've been checking it. Well just after I posted "another on bites the dust" I checked my horoscope. This is from the washingtonpost:

TODAY'S BIRTHDAY (October 28). You dare mighty things this year, and your vibrant personality attracts many supporters. Sharing your big dream brings love in the new year. Couples recommit to their original goals, and singles find hardworking mates. Material gains in December are a sign of good things to come. Your bonds with Pisces and Aries are remarkable. Your lucky numbers are: 9, 2, 11, 23 and 35.

So very weird. This is going to be a good day.

Another one bites the dust

Man oh man. Another year down and endless more years to go. My wife is on a mission and now I'm on a mission. It's time to kick start my brain into gear. I've spent enough time now goofing off, talking about what I want to do in life. Well, I've inched closer to the big 3-0, and haven't even come close. That stops now. Time to move along with a purpose. I've felt extremely lost the past few months, wondering around aimlessly. I've known since high school where I want to be in life. I've taken a few detours but I always find my way back. The big problem is staying on my path. Ladies and gentlemen, you heard it here, no more fooling around. I'm writing my novels, short stories and screenplays. I may not get published, though it would be nice to see the world of my imagination on a bookshelf or better yet, someone actually reading my words on the beach, on the metro or just sitting in the bookstore cafe enjoying my creation. I've talked and dreamed about it for years and still have yet to complete one single story. It always felt like a daunting task and a bit tiresome. My wife has given me confidence. She even helps me work out my ideas. Because of her, I know I can make this journey. Thank you Camille.

Back to this aging thing. I'm such an adult now. I can't fake being young anymore. And what's with that anyways? Why do adults feel the need to be young and connect with the late teens, early twenties? We don't stop knowing how to laugh or have fun do we? We laugh at different things, find fun in weird "you're such an adult" things and party like it's 1999. So what if it's not as fun to drink because I'm legally allowed to purchase alcohol. I remember the excitement in getting some old guy to buy us beer for parties. Honestly, I don't know where all the alcohol came from or how we got it all. I even remember the time at Cedar Point, we had juice bottles half filled with vodka. Now it doesn't even matter. I can buy the stuff and drink it out in the open. I don't have to sneak around. Such a bummer.

I wish I work downtown right now

Well, maybe not work. I just want to catch a glimpse of Nicole Kidman, so there is no need to actually work in DC, just a visit at the right time. For years I wished I laid in bed with a bowl over my you know what and catch Ms. Kidman taking a peek. Actually, I just wished I was in Tom Cruise's place. I'm sure I would have been great in Far and Away, Days of Thunder and Eyes Wide Shut. Apparently she's in town filming for a movie, The Visiting, a.ka. Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I've only seen one celebirty in my life and it was on my way to basic training. Yep, I was standing in line at the Columbia Airport in SC as word was passed down that Hootie and the Blowfish were sitting in the airport. And to my surprise there they were sitting not too far away from me. It started on the flight as rumors floated around that they were on the plane. I just thought is was some tatic to get most of our minds off the fact we were about to begin basic. I don't know what we looked like, but it must have been weird to see a large group of people standing single file and not able to move. Military personnel greeted us at the airport made us for a line and told us to keep our left foot against the wall and shut our yaps.

Damn this week

I don't have anything to really write about right now. But this week is moving at a snail's pace. Come on already and get to the end of the day Friday. I want to go home and not go to work until Monday. Maybe the slowdown is due to my birthday being on Friday. I'll be 27 folks in less than 24 hours. Not too old but not too young and definitely not 30. I'm not overly excited about my birthday and I'm not dying in anticipation of tomorrow so why the sluggish passing of time?

The Tivo is going to be busy for the next few days. Tons of horror movies are on the teli. Some I really don't care to watch but there are some that I'd love to see like the first Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th. I love watching the older horror movies. Older being made either the late 70's or the 80's. A little off the topic but this is a where are they now for another fav of mine, The Goonies. Shamefully, this movie is not in my archives.

I'm back

I really didn't go anywhere. Though, I have been MIA when it came to my blog. I'm not just back to blogging. I'm back to writing. I finally overcame myself and started writing. Last night I broke through my self imposed barrier and put the pen to the paper. I'm not much for sitting in front of a computer and writing. I think I'll put everything into word on the weekends. For now, I'll write with my good friends, the pen and paper. I even have a nice new notebook to untangle the big jumble of thoughts and make a story out of it. Even my wife started to write. She's practicing for the Nanowrimo november blitz. Even though she can't use the story she started last night, I hope she continues. I want to know what happens.

Even though I said I don't care about sports. I can't help but watch or talk about them. Despite sports being a big part of my life, I'm not putting anything about sports on this blog. I've decided to start another blog, solely for the world of sports. I'm working on setting it up and maybe in a few weeks, I will unveil my side project. Though it may have to wait until after November. I've to concentrate on two stories. One for Nanowrimo and the other story that I can't wait to write. Unfortunately, this blog may also suffer for the next month. Not like it really matters, it already suffers from neglect.

#17.

Yesss, I live in the 17th best place to live in 2005. How did your city turn out?

The Rogue Nation of Caspieas

I stumbled across this game, Nation States, while reading posts on a forum for NaNoWrimo. I've created a new nation and here is a little description of my lovely nation;

The Rogue Nation of Caspieas is a tiny, socially progressive nation, remarkable for its burgeoning emu population. Its compassionate, hard-working population of 6 million enjoy extensive civil freedoms, particularly in social issues, while business tends to be more regulated.
The medium-sized government juggles the competing demands of Healthcare, Social Welfare, and Education. The average income tax rate is 15%. A small but healthy private sector is led by the Furniture Restoration industry, followed by Gambling and Soda Sales.
Voting is voluntary. Crime is a problem, and the police force struggles against a lack of funding and a high mortality rate. Caspieas's national animal is the emu and its currency is the fluke.
Caspieas is ranked 5686th in the region and 62,381st in the world for Most Eco-Friendly Governments.

I'm currently struggling with an issue to ban automobiles, put a stop to protestors who disrupted several major cities by clogging the streets with cyclists or completely dismiss the issue. What to do, what to do? I may have to just dismiss the issue. I don't want to strip any civil freedoms but I don't want to hurt the economy nor the environment. Damn my advisors, I wish they'd give me more information.

Now for the job I really want

When I grow up and if life wasn't so damn serious I'd love the opportunity to hunt ghosts and the supernatural. I love watching shows about real hauntings. I really enjoyed the haunted tour in Frederick. I really get excited about EVP and trying to get something on tape. Of course, when it finally happened, I remember the anxiety quickly following. It's a little scary to be listening to nothing for long periods of time and then all of a sudden you hear a voice. I think I jumped but maybe a bit more than normal due to my wife's scream. I admit to being a little freaked out the rest of the night. The place we toured that day was supposively haunted. We recorded every minute while we walked around the museum and later that night listened to every minute and got one word, "password" out of the experience. Unfortunately, we can't find the tape.

I've always wondered what drives these stories. Did the things people claim to experience or see really happen? Do the dead walk among us and find ways to communicate with the living? I'd love to be galavanting across the globe investigating every supernatural story. However, I'm scared of one thing. What if I bring something back with me unknowingly? I've heard stories that disturbing spirits may draw them to you and follow you back home. I really don't want any spirits following me home. Scooter, our cat, randomly watches nothing. He follows nothing and stares at nothing. When I say nothing, he's watching something, I just can't see anything. I see nothing. With that said, I only need one spirit in the house. I can live with that unless things turn poltergeist.

I'm adding more things of October, ghost stories. Those will come soon. I only know a few so feel free to share. I love reading about new ghost stories.

Real quick

Okay, I know I said I just don't care about sports but I can't help commenting on another example how dumb pro athlete's can be. The NBA had announced a new policy that their players must wear suits and look like business professionals. No jeans, jerseys, hats, du-rags, bling-bling and whatever else most NBA players wear. I guess the NBA, which catered to the hip hop culture, decided that the money came from a group that can't identify with hip hop. The money still loves the days of short shorts, Larry Bird, Kevin McHales and athletes who are old enough to drink. The latest dumb comment came from a player who makes $8 million a year and said players should receive a stipen to pay for new clothing to be incompliance with the league's new policy. The league average is $4 million. I make a base of $24,000. My company released a new clothing policy and I don't get a stipen. How about me, I think I need a stipen more than any NBA player. I think this player's comments are more ridiculous than the one made about how $14 million a year isn't enough to feed his family. I know not all athlete's are this out of touch but I still felt like not dropping names. It's not that important and I'm not a journalist worrying about fact checking and reliability of sources. I rely on the media, so if they get it wrong, then I'm wrong.

I just don't care

It's weird, I was all into sports. I couldn't get enough baseball or football. For a brief moment, I had a need to watch hockey. I even busted out my ESPN NHL 2K5 video game to quench my thirst for hockey. Even my wife mentioned that my blog was littered with tons of sports related topics.

Now I'm worn out. I watched about five minutes of this morning's sportscenter and quickly changed over to a show I've been meaning to watch, Criminal Minds. I even snuck in an episode of Inuyasha. Don' ask, I get up way to early but I like having all the time in the world in the morning. Anyways, I simply want to see the scores of games I'm interested in but that's it. I briefly watched some football and baseball games this past weekend. The MLB playoff race heats up this week, with games on almost every night on Fox but I really have no desire to watch. I'm not excited to see who wins the World Series. I can barely find a reason to go out on Sunday to Pelican Pete's to watch the Browns play. As long as I see the final score, I'm satisfied. I keep up with the scores only to mention them to my brother overseas or to have a short conversation with my little brother in Ohio.

Mmmmm, pumpkin spice latte. Sorry, someone just blurted that out. Pumpkin, October...pumpkin. This means pumpkin, white chocolate pudding and cool whip. Yum.

Right now I could give a damn about sports. Give me the scores, that's it. I could barely watch my favorite show, PTI-Pardon the Interruption with Tony and Mike...sad. Oh well, more time for other things.

Superman has been born

We're saved. Superman has been reborn. Thanks to Nicholas Cage and his wife, we have a brand new hollywood baby name, Kal-el. If you don't believe, check out the story yourself. It's actually not a new name but it's a new hollywood child with a weird name. Why do celeberties feel the need to give their newborns strange names? (Bruce Willis has Scout, Tallulah and Rumer-sorry I can't name anymore but if I look it up, I'm bound to find bunches of interesting names)They are already destined to be mocked on but to add fuel to the fire with a funny weird name only makes it worse. But that's just my opinion, I'm not the kid nor the parents so who am I to judge. But come on, Kal-el, the birth name of Clark Kent, aka Superman. Is Nicholas Cage still peeved about not landing the role of The Man of Steel? On a side note, I can't wait for the new Superman movie. I remember a buddy of mine wanting to name his first child Lucifer or was it God. Can you name your child God? Not that I'm thinking of ever doing that but there must be some happy couple just waiting to name their child God.

Top 25 Horror Flicks

This is more like a work in progress. I would probably change my mind on this over and over but here's my attempt.

25. Alien-It may be scifi but it had the scare factor and the gross me out alien bursting through the chest.
24. Children of the Corn-I don't remember much but I just feel it has to be on here.
23. The Fly-A giant fly never gave me more creeps than this one.
22. Child's Play-I never wanted the My Buddy doll after this movie.
21. Psycho(1960)-I loved the original version, the remake was okay but it did have Viggiooooo!
20. Saw-Carey's overacting was downright bad but again the gross out affect wins.
19. An American Werewolf in London-Another great movie my dad let me watch when I was young.
18. The Evil Dead-Classic Bruce...can any horror flick list be without the might Bruce Campbell?
17. The Thing-yet another scifi movie and more heads walking and parinoia.
16. The Blair Witch Project-Yes, I admit to thinking this was real, which made it awesome. Then I found out the truth and it stunk. But if I watch it every now and then and forget about the truth, this movie can scare.
15. Pet Sematary-It's on my list, but I won't watch it. Feverish nightmares are alittle too much for me.
14. The Skeleton Key-More of a new movie, but excellent twist and you can't deny the spookyness of voodoo.
13. Scream-A great movie, had the scare factor but the sequels, come on, not good.
12. Halloween-As referenced in Scream, the Scream Queen, Jamie Lee Curtis makes this movie. 11. 28 Days Later-Zombies are usually slow lumbering no-brainers, but these quick and nasty zombies giving it a refreshing feeling.
10. Hellraiser-I love Pinhead.
9. Carrie-I secretly wished I could tell that kind of story about my prom.
8. The Sixth Sense-Not really scary. It had it's moments. The best "I see dead people" movies.
7. Poltergeist-Another childhood viewing leaving me scarred and tormented. But I now can watch this movie.
6. Night of the Living Dead-Classic zombie movie, even if it isn't terrifying.
5. A Nightmare on Elm Street-Another first of a series. Freddy is a gonna getchya.
4. The Ring-Scary, down right scary...can't they all stop watching the tape.
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre(1974)-The original is great and I even liked the remake with Jessica Beil.
2. The Shining-Ultimate cabin fever.
1. The Exorcist-If you ever watch this and suddenly a crazed face flashes on the screen and your TV screen goes blank, you're screwed. It'll never work properly. Trust me, I know, the 32-inch television resting in the closet fell victim to this outstanding movie.

Also receiving consideration were my Halloween favorite, Shocker, Friday the 13th, Stir of Echoes, The Omen, Candyman, Cabin Fever, Jaws, Silence of the Lambs, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Darkness Falls. Also, I could not give consideration to Rosemary's Baby, Phantasm or Suspiria because quite frankly, I have not seen them. It's not that I have no intentions, I just haven't gotten around to them. Plus, I'm no there are some movies that recently came out like The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which looks good but I haven't made it to the theaters lately.

Here's a coinky dink

Weird, just last night I made the comment about Kevin Federline being a golddigger and wouldn't you know, I find this lovely video.

It's over...the fat lady sang her song

Crap...that's it. The Indians ran out of steam and lost six of the last seven and missed the playoffs by one game. All the shoulda, woulda, coulda's mean nothing now. The Indians breathed new life into baseball and Cleveland sports for me. I'll move on to another heart attack, with the Brownies but that may be more suffering than the exciting playoff run the Indians gave to all sports fans.

I took a slide this weekend in my NFL weekly picks. Luckily no one else had a great week so I'm only two back. I never mentioned this but I'm doing in an office pool at my old job. The overall winner, will receive a jersey of their favorite team. I won last year but we didn't have any sort of prizes. This year is different and I'll just have to defend my make believe title and pick a whole lot better than last week. So not important, I know.